Severe Traffic Congestion Nationwide on Expressways Returning Home... Busan to Seoul Takes 5 Hours 30 Minutes

by Lee Jonggil

Published 27 Jan.2020 13:18(KST)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 27th, traffic congestion on highways nationwide is worsening in the afternoon as people return home. According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 1 PM, the estimated travel times by passenger car from major cities across the country to the Seoul tollgate are: Busan 5 hours 30 minutes, Ulsan 5 hours 10 minutes, Mokpo 4 hours 30 minutes (based on Seo Seoul tollgate), Daegu 4 hours 30 minutes, Gwangju 4 hours 20 minutes, Gangneung 2 hours 50 minutes, and Daejeon 2 hours 40 minutes.

As of 12:30 PM, the total length of congested sections on highways nationwide is 85 km. In the direction toward Seoul, congestion extends for 77 km, while the opposite direction has 8 km of slow-moving traffic at speeds below 40 km/h. Especially on highways heading toward Seoul, traffic is crawling on the Gyeongbu Line for 27 km, the Seohaean Line for 15 km, and the Yeongdong Line (toward Incheon) for 14 km.

Traffic congestion toward Seoul is expected to peak between 3 and 4 PM and is forecasted to ease around 9 to 10 PM. On the other hand, highways heading toward hometowns are expected to have mostly smooth traffic except for some sections. The Expressway Corporation explained, "Although some sections are expected to be congested in the direction returning home from the afternoon, traffic is smoother compared to the 26th," adding, "Congestion will occur at levels typical of a usual Sunday."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Expressway Corporation estimated the total nationwide traffic volume for the day at 3.56 million vehicles. Among these, 290,000 vehicles are expected to travel from the metropolitan area to local regions, and 420,000 vehicles from local regions to the metropolitan area.