Gwangju Jeonnam Expressway Corporation, 'Most Congested' on Expressways on Lunar New Year's Day

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Korea Expressway Corporation Gwangju Jeonnam Headquarters (Head Kim Ju-seong) announced on the 23rd that it will designate the five days from the 23rd to the 27th as the ‘Seol Holiday Expressway Special Traffic Measures Period’ and implement comprehensive measures for smooth traffic flow.

During the Seol holiday period, the average daily number of vehicles using expressways in the Gwangju Jeonnam area is expected to be 330,000, an increase of 6.2% compared to the previous year based on exit counts, with the highest volume of 440,000 vehicles expected to travel on the holiday itself, the 25th.

Compared to last year’s Seol holiday, the number of days for returning home has shortened from 4 to 2 days, so traffic congestion on the outbound trip is expected to increase, while congestion on the return trip is expected to ease somewhat.

The peak congestion times are expected to be from 9 to 10 a.m. on the 24th when outbound vehicles concentrate, and from 2 to 3 p.m. on the 25th, the holiday itself, when outbound, ancestral visit, and return vehicles concentrate. The maximum travel time between major cities is expected to be 6 hours 50 minutes from Seoul to Gwangju and 7 hours 10 minutes from Seoul to Mokpo for outbound trips, and 6 hours 30 minutes from Gwangju to Seoul and 7 hours from Mokpo to Seoul for return trips.

During this Seol holiday, expressway toll exemption will also be implemented. The exemption applies to all vehicles that use the expressway even briefly between 0:00 on the 24th and 24:00 on the 26th.

The usage method is the same as usual: for general lanes, take a toll ticket upon entry and submit it at the arrival tollgate, and for Hi-Pass lanes, insert the card into the device and keep the power on while passing through.

The Gwangju Jeonnam Headquarters operates multi-lane Hi-Pass at Gwangju and Donggwangju TG and the shoulder lane system on the Honam Line section from Dongnim IC to Seogwangju IC at all times to alleviate traffic congestion. It also plans to provide real-time traffic information through various media such as smartphone apps, ex-TV traffic broadcasts, the internet, VMS, and video promotion vehicles at Baekyangsa (Cheonan direction) and Osu (Wanju direction) rest areas.

Additionally, for the safety of expressway users during the holiday, it will cooperate with the Expressway Patrol to conduct undercover patrols to crack down on violations such as speeding and reckless driving, carry out ‘wake-up’ alarm activities during drowsiness-prone hours, provide emergency towing services for accident vehicles, and pre-position rescue vehicles in accident-prone sections to thoroughly prevent traffic accidents.

In particular, to prevent accidents related to road black ice, patrols will be intensified during the freezing-vulnerable hours from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, and road surface temperatures will be measured frequently. If freezing is expected, preemptive snow removal operations will be carried out.

To minimize inconvenience for expressway users, 67 additional restrooms will be installed at rest areas and drowsiness shelters, and service personnel at rest facilities will be significantly increased to 229 to strengthen customer convenience facility management. Customer events such as rice cake soup rice sharing and traditional folk game experiences will also be held.

A Korea Expressway Corporation Gwangju Jeonnam Headquarters official said, “For a safe and enjoyable Seol holiday trip, thoroughly check your vehicle before departure and wear seat belts in all seats,” adding, “If your vehicle stops due to an accident or breakdown, all occupants should quickly evacuate to a safe place outside the guardrail to prevent secondary accidents and contact the Korea Expressway Corporation call center.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.