Smooth Traffic on Expressways on Seol Morning... "Peak Congestion Between 4 and 5 PM"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] On the morning of the 1st, the day of Seollal, major highways nationwide are generally experiencing smooth traffic flow.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 8 a.m. that day, the Seoul-bound lanes of the Gyeongbu Expressway are smooth except for a 4 km section near Bukcheonan to Ipjang Rest Area, and the Busan-bound lanes are smooth except for a 2 km section near Anseong.

The Seohaean Expressway, Jungbu Expressway, and others are also experiencing smooth traffic without noticeable congestion sections.

The total traffic volume nationwide is expected to be 4.95 million vehicles, with 370,000 vehicles moving from the metropolitan area to local regions and 450,000 vehicles moving from local regions to the metropolitan area.

The Expressway Corporation predicted, "Many vehicles are expected to use the expressways on Seollal day, and since ancestral rites and visits to relatives will be mixed with outbound and return traffic, it will be very congested."

Outbound traffic congestion is expected to start around 9 to 10 a.m., peak around 1 to 2 p.m., and ease around 6 to 7 p.m.

Return traffic congestion is expected to start around 8 to 9 a.m., peak around 4 to 5 p.m., and ease around 2 to 3 a.m. the following day.

Departing from Seoul Tollgate by car at 8 a.m., the estimated travel times to major cities nationwide are: Busan 5 hours, Gwangju 3 hours 20 minutes, Ulsan 4 hours 40 minutes, Daegu 4 hours, Daejeon 1 hour 50 minutes, and Gangneung 2 hours 40 minutes.

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