"Leave After Dinner"... Homebound Congestion Eases by 6 p.m., Return Traffic Peaks at 10 a.m. Tomorrow

Four Hours and 40 Minutes from Seoul to Busan on the Day Before Lunar New Year

On the afternoon of the 16th, one day before Lunar New Year, homebound and returning holiday traffic continued, causing congestion on some expressways.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 5:00 p.m. that day, the estimated travel time by passenger car from the Seoul Tollgate to major cities nationwide was 4 hours 40 minutes to Busan, 4 hours 20 minutes to Ulsan, 3 hours 40 minutes to Mokpo and Daegu, 3 hours 30 minutes to Gwangju, and 3 hours to Gangneung.

In the opposite direction, from each city to Seoul, the estimated travel times were 4 hours 40 minutes from Busan, 4 hours 20 minutes from Ulsan, 4 hours 10 minutes from Mokpo, 3 hours 50 minutes from Gwangju, 3 hours 40 minutes from Daegu, and 3 hours 30 minutes from Gangneung.

Heavy congestion on Gyeongbu Expressway... Homebound traffic to ease around 5-6 p.m.

Congestion was concentrated mainly on the Gyeongbu Expressway. On the Busan-bound side of the Gyeongbu Expressway, traffic was backed up for 13 km between the Oksan Junction and the Nami Junction, 2 km from near Namcheongju to near the Jugam Service Area, and 1 km from near the Yangsan Junction to the Yangsan Junction.

On the Seoul-bound side of the Gyeongbu Expressway, vehicles were unable to pick up speed over a 3 km stretch from near Giheung to Suwon and a 7 km stretch from near Yangjae to Banpo.

On the Yeongdong Expressway toward Incheon, congestion was observed over a 2 km section from the Wolgot Junction to near the Wolgot Junction. On the Seohaean Expressway toward Mokpo, vehicles were moving slowly over a 2 km section from the Ansan Junction to near the Sunsan Tunnel.

The Korea Expressway Corporation projected that congestion in the homebound direction would ease around 5-6 p.m., and congestion in the returning direction around 10-11 p.m. Nationwide traffic volume for the day was forecast at around 5.05 million vehicles. Of these, the corporation expected about 410,000 vehicles to travel from the Seoul metropolitan area to the provinces, and about 410,000 vehicles to move from the provinces to the Seoul metropolitan area.

Return traffic tomorrow to be heaviest of the holiday... Peak at 10 a.m., lasting until 8 p.m.

With heavy snow warnings issued for the mountainous areas and east coast of Gangwon, on the 16th a snowplow was busy clearing snow on the Daegwallyeong section of the old Yeongdong Expressway in Seongsan-myeon, Gangneung. Yonhap News

According to projections by Tmap Mobility and SK Telecom, the 17th, Lunar New Year’s Day, is expected to be the most congested day of this holiday period. Congestion levels are forecast to begin rising from 7:00 a.m., peak at 10:00 a.m., and then maintain a congested flow until 8:00 p.m. This is because homebound traffic has been spread out over four days, whereas return traffic will be concentrated over the two days of the 17th and 18th.

Expressway tolls will be fully exempted during the Lunar New Year holiday for four days, from midnight on the 15th to 12:00 a.m. on the 18th. All vehicles that use the expressways even briefly during the exemption period will be eligible.

Meanwhile, heavy snowfall centered on the Yeongdong region and mountainous areas of Gangwon prompted road authorities to begin snow removal operations. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, from 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. that day, major observation points recorded snowfall of 16 cm in Hyeonnae, Goseong; 12 cm at the Misiryeong Tunnel; 11.7 cm in Seongsan, Gangneung; and 9.1 cm in Myeonokchi, Yangyang. Snow also accumulated in various other locations, including 8 cm on Hawolsan in Samcheok, 7.3 cm in Seorak-dong, Sokcho, and 5.9 cm at Baekbokryeong in Jeongseon.

The heavy snow advisories that had been in effect during the morning for the plains of Gangneung, Sokcho, and Goseong, as well as for all mountainous areas of Gangwon, were all lifted in the afternoon. Authorities carried out snow removal operations mainly in the affected sections and urged homebound travelers to drive safely on icy roads.