Outbound congestion expected to ease around 8 to 9 p.m.
Homebound traffic toward Seoul likely to start clearing around 3 a.m. on the 18th
On the morning of the 15th, the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, homebound traffic continued, causing congestion at many spots on the highways. Yonhap News
On the afternoon of the Lunar New Year on the 17th, as the homebound traffic back to the capital went into full swing, severe congestion was occurring on many sections of major highways nationwide.
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 5 p.m. that day, the estimated travel time by passenger car from major cities across the country to Seoul was 7 hours 10 minutes from Busan, 6 hours 50 minutes from Ulsan, 7 hours 20 minutes from Mokpo, 6 hours 40 minutes from Gwangju, 6 hours 10 minutes from Daegu, and 3 hours 50 minutes from Gangneung.
In the opposite direction, from the Seoul Tollgate to regional cities, the estimated travel times were 4 hours 30 minutes to Busan, 4 hours 10 minutes to Ulsan, and 3 hours 40 minutes to Mokpo, showing a relatively smoother flow compared with the homebound traffic toward Seoul.
By major route, congestion toward Seoul on the Gyeongbu Expressway is particularly severe. Long lines of vehicles are forming over a 32 km section from near the Cheonan Junction to near the Anseong Service Area, and over a 19 km section from the Nami Junction to near the Cheongju Service Area. Congestion is also continuing over a 16 km section from near the Dodong Junction to the Chilgok Junction, and over 14 km sections from the Hwanggan Service Area to the Yeongdong No. 1 Tunnel and from Okcheon to near Daejeon.
On the Seohaean Expressway toward Seoul, vehicles are unable to travel at normal speeds over a 26 km section from the Dangjin Junction to near Seopyeongtaek, while on the Yeongdong Expressway toward Incheon, congestion is occurring over an 18 km section from the Deokpyeong Service Area to Yongin.
The Korea Expressway Corporation projected that total traffic volume nationwide for the day would reach about 6.15 million vehicles, more than 1 million vehicles higher than the previous day (5.05 million vehicles). Congestion in the outbound direction for family visits is expected to ease around 8 to 9 p.m., but heavy traffic toward Seoul is forecast to continue throughout the night and begin to clear around 3 to 4 a.m. on the 18th.
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