Afternoon Highway Congestion Nationwide
Seoul to Busan Expected to Take 5 Hours 10 Minutes
On the morning of the 24th, one day before the major national holiday Seollal, travelers are moving to board trains heading to their hometowns at Seoul Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun
On the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 25th, traffic congestion continues on highways nationwide due to vehicles heading home. With an estimated 5.05 million vehicles traveling on the first day, it is expected to take 5 hours and 10 minutes to travel from Seoul to Busan.
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 5 p.m. that day, the estimated travel times by passenger car from Seoul Tollgate to major cities nationwide are: Busan 5 hours 10 minutes, Ulsan 4 hours 40 minutes, Daegu 4 hours 10 minutes, Gwangju and Mokpo 4 hours, Daejeon 2 hours 10 minutes, and Gangneung 3 hours.
Conversely, the estimated travel times from each city to Seoul are: Busan 4 hours 30 minutes, Ulsan 4 hours 20 minutes, Mokpo 3 hours 40 minutes, Gwangju and Daegu 3 hours 20 minutes, Daejeon 1 hour 50 minutes, and Gangneung 2 hours 40 minutes.
On the Gyeongbu Expressway heading toward Busan, traffic is increasing and congestion continues at the following sections: 4 km near Cheonan to Cheonan Junction, 5 km near Cheonan Rest Area to Cheongju Junction, 3 km near Namcheongju to Jukam Rest Area, and 4 km between Daejeon and Biryong Junction.
On the Seohaean Expressway heading toward Mokpo, vehicles are crawling near Geumcheon, between Poseung Junction and Seohaedaegyo Bridge for 2 km, and near Dongseocheon Junction for 1 km.
On the Jungbu Expressway heading toward Nami, traffic is slow between Ochang and Nami Junction for 13 km; on the Yeongdong Expressway heading toward Gangneung, congestion occurs between Hobeop Junction and near Icheon for 4 km; and between Gunpo and Bugok for 4 km, vehicles are unable to maintain normal speed.
Some sections on the return route are also experiencing traffic delays. On the Gyeongbu Expressway heading toward Seoul, congestion occurs between Yangjae and Banpo for 5 km, and between Suwon and Singal Junction for 2 km. On the Seohaean Expressway heading toward Seoul, traffic jams occur between Gwangmyeong Station and Geumcheon for 6 km, between Maesong Rest Area and Palkok Tunnel for 6 km, and near Hwaseong Rest Area for 3 km.
The Corporation stated that routes other than the major ones are relatively smooth in both directions.
Traffic congestion heading home peaked between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. that day and is expected to clear by 7 to 8 p.m. Traffic returning is expected to be heaviest between 5 and 6 p.m. and to clear by 10 to 11 p.m.
The Corporation forecasted that 4.6 million vehicles will move from the metropolitan area to local regions, and 3.6 million vehicles will move from local regions to the metropolitan area, totaling 5.05 million vehicles traveling nationwide.
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