On the last day of the Chuseok holiday, October 9, as vehicles crowd the roads with people returning to the city and making last-minute outings, heavy congestion is occurring on major expressways across the country.
On the last day of the Chuseok holiday, the Seoul-bound (right side) near Osan IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Osan City, Gyeonggi Province, is congested. Yonhap News
According to Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 5:00 p.m. on this day, the estimated travel times from each city tollgate to the Seoul tollgate are as follows: Busan, 5 hours 10 minutes; Ulsan, 4 hours 50 minutes; Mokpo and Gwangju, 4 hours 40 minutes; Daegu, 4 hours 10 minutes; Gangneung, 3 hours 30 minutes; and Daejeon, 2 hours 40 minutes.
Conversely, the estimated travel times from the Seoul tollgate to each city are: Busan, 4 hours 30 minutes; Ulsan, 4 hours 10 minutes; Mokpo, 3 hours 50 minutes; Daegu, 3 hours 30 minutes; Gwangju, 3 hours 20 minutes; Gangneung, 2 hours 40 minutes; and Daejeon, 1 hour 10 minutes.
On the Seoul-bound side of the Gyeongbu Expressway, stop-and-go traffic is being reported in the following sections: 6 kilometers near Yangjae to Banpo, 1 kilometer near Osan, 2 kilometers near Anseong Junction, 15 kilometers from Cheongju to Mokcheon, 12 kilometers from Jukam Service Area to Nami Junction, 6 kilometers from Biryeong Junction to near Daejeon, and 4 kilometers from around Yeongdong 1 Tunnel. On the Busan-bound side, congestion is occurring in sections such as 8 kilometers from Cheonan Junction to Cheonan Hodoo Service Area.
On the Seohaean Expressway toward Seoul, traffic is slow in the following sections: 1 kilometer near Iljik Junction to Geumcheon, 2 kilometers from Maesong Service Area to Maesong, 2 kilometers from Hwaseong Service Area to near Hwaseong Service Area, 2 kilometers from Seopyeongtaek Junction to near Seopyeongtaek Junction, 16 kilometers from near Dangjin to Seohae Bridge, and 7 kilometers from Daemyeong Tunnel to Dongseocheon Junction. In the Mokpo-bound direction, congestion is occurring in sections such as 1 kilometer from Geumcheon to near Geumcheon.
On the Jungbu Expressway toward Hanam, congestion is being reported in the following sections: 2 kilometers from Iljuk to near Iljuk and 7 kilometers from Nami Junction to near Seocheongju. In the Nami-bound direction, traffic is slow for 2 kilometers near Jincheon Tunnel.
On the Capital Region First Ring Expressway toward Pangyo, traffic is congested for 4 kilometers from Seoun Junction to Songnae and 2 kilometers from Jayuro to near Gimpo. In the Ilsan-bound direction, congestion is occurring for 3 kilometers from Jangsu to Jungdong, 2 kilometers from Guri Namyangju Tollgate to Gangil, and 3 kilometers from Gwangam Tunnel to Seohanam.
The corporation expects the congestion in the return-to-city direction to peak between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. and to ease between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. on this day.
The corporation also projected that 5.13 million vehicles would be on the move nationwide today.
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