Monday Morning in Seoul, No Traffic Chaos

Extended Commute Hours, Increased Public Transit
Over 1,200 Police Officers Deployed for Traffic Management
Main Roads Reopened Except Jamsugyo Bridge and Others

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon and Lee Jung-yoon] At 8:35 a.m. on the 10th, at Gyodae Station on Subway Line 2. Due to the crowd on the way to work, the train bound for Gangnam Station was passed up and the next train was boarded. Although major roads in Seoul were closed due to heavy rain over the weekend, causing expectations of a 'hell train' on Monday, the actual congestion during the morning commute was similar to usual. As the train passed busy stations like Gyodae and Gangnam, the density inside the train significantly decreased. Cho, the on-site manager at Gangnam Station, said, "There were reports of traffic jams on major roads in Seoul, so we expected more people to concentrate on the subway, but so far the number of passengers is similar to usual." Office worker Park (54) also said, "I did not feel that the subway was more crowded than before."

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the morning of the day, major roads in Seoul such as Olympic-daero and Gangbyeonbuk-ro, where vehicle operation was restricted due to increased discharge from Paldang Dam, reopened from the previous night. The sections from Mapo Bridge to Hangang Bridge on Gangbyeonbuk-ro, the entire Dongbu Expressway, the section from Majang Ramp to Seongdong JC on the Inner Circular Road, and the main line of Olympic-daero from Yeomchang IC to Dongjak Bridge have been operating normally since around 9:20 p.m. the previous night. From 7 a.m. that day, entry and exit at Yeoui-haryu IC, which connects Olympic-daero and Nodeul-gil, also resumed. The two-way traffic restriction on Nodeul-ro from Yanghwa Bridge to Hangang Bridge was also lifted.

However, Yeoui-sangryu IC remained closed in both directions as of 10 a.m. due to concerns about road flooding, and Jamsu Bridge has been fully closed for eight days. The southern end of Banghwa Bridge, Gaehwa Yukkapmun, which has been closed since the 3rd, has not yet reopened.

From the morning of the day, Seoul extended the usual morning rush hour from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. until the heavy rain warning is lifted, and extended the evening rush hour from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., increasing the number of subway and bus services. The subway's last train time, usually at midnight, was extended to 12:30 a.m. the next day, and bus last service times were also extended by 30 minutes. The police mobilized about 1,200 personnel, the maximum force, to manage traffic in Seoul during the morning commute.

The morning commute to downtown Seoul showed congestion levels similar to usual. The commute from Songdo, Incheon to Jongno-gu, Seoul usually takes about an hour, but when the reporter took a detour, it took about 20 minutes longer. Instead of the usual route via Gyeongin Expressway toward Yanghwa Bridge, the route was guided through Seocho IC and Yangjae IC, adding about 6 km. This area is usually prone to frequent congestion, but contrary to expectations that detour routes would be crowded with commuters, traffic volume was similar to usual.

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