Nationwide Highway Congestion Due to Return Traffic... Busan to Seoul Takes 5 Hours 40 Minutes

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] On the third day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 23rd, traffic congestion is occurring on major highways nationwide due to the return trip.

According to Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 5 p.m. on this day, the estimated travel time by passenger car from major cities nationwide to the Seoul tollgate is 5 hours 40 minutes from Busan, 5 hours 10 minutes from Ulsan, 4 hours 30 minutes from Daegu, 5 hours 20 minutes from Gwangju, 3 hours 40 minutes from Gangneung, and 3 hours 10 minutes from Daejeon. Although this is more than an hour shorter than at noon, congestion still occurred in some sections.

Expected Travel Time for Major Cities as of 5 PM on the 23rd [Photo by Korea Expressway Corporation]

The expected travel time from the Seoul tollgate to major cities nationwide is 4 hours 30 minutes to Busan, 4 hours 10 minutes to Ulsan, 3 hours 10 minutes to Daegu, 3 hours 20 minutes to Gwangju, 2 hours 40 minutes to Gangneung, and 1 hour 30 minutes to Daejeon.

On the Gyeongbu Expressway heading toward Seoul, congestion occurred in the following sections: 8 km from Dallaenae area to Banpo, 7 km from near Jukjeon Service Area to Pangyo Junction, 4 km near Mokcheon, 19 km from Bukcheonan to near Anseong Junction, and 7 km from Biryong Junction to near Daejeon.

On the Gyeongbu Line heading toward Busan, vehicles are moving slowly in the 9 km section near Hwacheon to Eonyang Junction and the 29 km section near Tongdosa Service Area.

On the Seohaean Expressway heading toward Seoul, the 15 km section near Seopyeongtaek Junction to Paltan Junction and the 3 km section near Seocheon to Jongcheon Tunnel are blocked.

On the Jungbu Expressway heading toward Hanam, congestion is occurring in the 6 km section near Jungbu 3 Tunnel to Jungbu 1 Tunnel and the 3 km section from Majang Junction to Seoicheon.

On the Jungbu Line heading toward Namyi, vehicles are backed up in the 10 km section near Jincheon to Jincheon Tunnel.

On the Yeongdong Line heading toward Incheon, slow traffic is observed in the 2 km section near Jinbu 3 Tunnel to Jinbu 2 Tunnel, the 4 km section near Saemal, and the 4 km section from Yeoju Junction to near Yeoju Service Area.

The Korea Expressway Corporation predicts that the return trip congestion will gradually ease over time and be resolved between midnight and 1 a.m. the following day. The outbound trip congestion is expected to clear around 7 to 8 p.m. on this day.

The expected nationwide traffic volume for the day is approximately 5.13 million vehicles. It is estimated that 380,000 vehicles will move from the metropolitan area to local areas, and 510,000 vehicles will move from local areas to the metropolitan area.