"Chronic Holiday Congestion"... Seohaean Expressway Earns Notoriety for Second Consecutive Year

Accidents Most Frequent on the Gyeongbu Expressway

During last year's Chuseok holiday, the section of the Seohaean Expressway heading toward Seoul, from Iljik Junction (JCT) to Geumcheon Interchange (IC), experienced the longest congestion among all expressways nationwide. Over the six-day holiday period, this section was congested for a total of 50 hours.

This finding comes from data compiled by Assemblyman Jeong Jeom-sik of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, based on congestion statistics from the Korea Expressway Corporation during recent holiday periods. Congestion is defined as when vehicles are moving at speeds below 40 km/h.

The second and third longest congested sections were also on the Seohaean Expressway. The section from Seopyeongtaek IC to Poseung JCT toward Mokpo was congested for 47 hours, followed by the section from Dangjin IC to Songak IC toward Seoul, which was congested for 41 hours. The Iljik JCT to Geumcheon IC section also experienced 43 hours of congestion during this year's Lunar New Year holiday, indicating that it is a chronic congestion area.

On September 27, 2023, two days before Chuseok, the West Coast Expressway was viewed from the air. [Aerial filming cooperation = Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Aviation Unit, Pilots: Lieutenant Shin Seungho - Lieutenant Park Jihwan, Crew: Lieutenant Park Sangjin] Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

The expressway with the most frequent accidents was the Gyeongbu Expressway. In 2023, there were 367 accidents on all expressways nationwide, and more than one-third of them-130 accidents-occurred on the Gyeongbu Expressway. By section, the area from Yongin Suji District to Seongnam Bundang District toward Seoul had the highest number, with 34 accidents.

In the area from Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province to Daedeok District, Daejeon Metropolitan City, there were 18 accidents. In 2022 as well, the Gyeongbu Expressway had the highest number of accidents, with 244 out of a total of 615. The Yongin Suji to Seongnam Bundang section alone saw 60 accidents.

Assemblyman Jeong stated, "It is a serious dereliction of duty that the Korea Expressway Corporation continues to respond with only temporary fixes to sections where accidents are repeatedly occurring. Effective and sustainable solutions must be established for chronic congestion areas to reduce inconvenience for the public."