As the Chuseok holiday comes to a close, heavy traffic is building on major highways heading toward Seoul. Congestion is expected to peak between 4 and 5 PM.
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, approximately 5.24 million vehicles are expected to be on the roads nationwide today. An estimated 370,000 vehicles will travel from the capital region to provincial areas, while 490,000 vehicles are expected to head from provinces to the capital. As the last day of the holiday, there will be a relatively higher number of vehicles moving toward Seoul.
Traffic heading to Seoul is anticipated to begin around 10-11 AM, peak between 4 and 5 PM, and ease around 10-11 PM. In contrast, traffic in the opposite direction is expected to flow smoothly.
By route, congestion on the Gyeongbu Expressway toward Seoul is expected to start around 10 AM, peak around 3 PM, and clear by 11 PM. The Yeongdong Expressway toward Incheon is projected to experience congestion starting at 11 AM, peaking around 4 PM, and easing by 8 PM.
On the Seohaean Expressway toward Seoul, congestion is expected to begin around 10 AM, with the heaviest traffic around 11 AM. The Jungbu Expressway toward Hanam is expected to see congestion from 11 AM to 9 PM, while the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway toward Namyangju is expected to experience congestion from 11 AM to 8 PM.
As of 9 AM, the estimated travel times from major cities to the Seoul tollgate are as follows: Busan 5 hours, Ulsan 4 hours 40 minutes, Mokpo 4 hours 10 minutes, Daegu 4 hours, Gwangju 3 hours 40 minutes, Gangneung 2 hours 50 minutes, and Daejeon 1 hour 50 minutes.
From Seoul to these cities, the estimated travel times are: Busan 4 hours 30 minutes, Ulsan 4 hours 10 minutes, Daegu 4 hours, Mokpo 3 hours 40 minutes, Gangneung 2 hours 40 minutes, Gwangju 3 hours 20 minutes, and Daejeon 1 hour 30 minutes.
The exemption from highway tolls during the Chuseok holiday will continue until midnight today. The government has designated the period from September 23 to today as a special traffic management period, waiving tolls on all highways from September 24 to 27.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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