[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] On the last day of the March 1st holiday, the 1st, heavy snowfall in the Gangwon region caused hundreds of outing vehicles to become stranded in some sections of the Donghae Expressway due to the blizzard.
According to Gangwon Province and the Korea Expressway Corporation Gangwon Regional Headquarters, from 4:40 PM on the same day, entry to the Sokcho Interchange section and the Bukyangyang Interchange section of the Donghae Expressway was completely restricted.
In this section, where about 10 cm of heavy snow fell, a large amount of snow fell in a short time, and vehicles returning home after outings crowded all at once, causing severe congestion. Moreover, the road management authorities stated that vehicles without winter equipment caused numerous traffic accidents, large and small, resulting in a tangled situation where vehicles could neither move forward nor backward, causing a stranded situation.
Snow removal vehicles and equipment deployed for expressway snow clearing were also stuck among the stranded vehicles. It is currently known that hundreds of vehicles are stranded in a 2 km section between Sokcho Interchange and Bukyangyang Interchange on the Donghae Expressway.
The police and road management authorities are removing stranded vehicles toward the Sokcho direction one or two at a time, but it is expected to take considerable time to resolve the stranded situation.
Meanwhile, vehicles attempting to enter the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway northbound via this section are being rerouted using general roads to the Inje Interchange or Hajodae Interchange of the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway. They are also being guided to move to the Gangneung Interchange on the Donghae Expressway and then use the Yeongdong Expressway.
The road management authorities have deployed snow removal vehicles to enable the movement of vehicles trapped by the heavy snow and have started snow clearing operations, but they are facing difficulties as so many vehicles remain stranded and immobilized.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
