Heavy Traffic Nationwide for Lunar New Year Holiday
Seoul to Ulsan Takes 5 Hours, Seoul to Mokpo 4 Hours 10 Minutes
On the morning of the 25th, marking the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, highways were congested with vehicles heading home.
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 8 a.m. that day, the estimated travel times by passenger car from Seoul Tollgate to major cities nationwide are △Busan 5 hours 30 minutes △Ulsan 5 hours △Mokpo 4 hours 10 minutes △Daegu 4 hours 30 minutes △Gwangju 4 hours 10 minutes △Gangneung 3 hours △Daejeon 2 hours 30 minutes.
Conversely, the estimated travel times from each city to Seoul are △Busan 4 hours 50 minutes △Ulsan 4 hours 20 minutes △Mokpo 3 hours 40 minutes △Daegu 3 hours 50 minutes △Gwangju 3 hours 20 minutes △Gangneung 2 hours 40 minutes △Daejeon 1 hour 31 minutes.
The Korea Expressway Corporation explained that routes other than the main ones are currently relatively smooth in both directions.
As of 8 a.m., congestion is occurring on the Gyeongbu Expressway in the Busan direction between Manghyang Rest Area and Mokcheon section.
Vehicles are also repeatedly stopping and going near Geumcheon in the Mokpo direction on the Seohaean Expressway, near Paltan Junction to Hwaseong Rest Area, near Hobup Junction to Moga in the Namyi direction on the Jungbu Expressway, and near Daeso Junction to Jincheon.
Traffic flow is also not smooth near Yongin to Yangji Tunnel in the Gangneung direction on the Yeongdong Expressway, near Maseong Tunnel to Yongin, near Hwado Junction to Seojong in the Yangyang direction on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway, and near Yeoju Junction in the Changwon direction on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway.
The corporation expects that road congestion in the homebound direction will be most severe between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. that day and will ease between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
It is expected that 5.05 million vehicles will travel nationwide that day. Approximately 460,000 vehicles will move from the metropolitan area to local regions, and about 360,000 vehicles will move from local regions to the metropolitan area.
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