[Anchor]
On Chuseok day, today (September 24), severe congestion formed across various expressways as vehicles headed toward their hometowns. Let's connect with our reporter stationed at the Seoul Tollgate for a closer look at the traffic conditions.
Reporter Lee Se-hyeon, it was reported that driving from Seoul to Busan took up to 10 hours earlier. What is the situation like right now?
[Reporter]
Yes, expressway congestion nationwide has mostly cleared up, starting around 8:00 PM about an hour ago.
With traffic volume noticeably decreasing, both directions at the Seoul Tollgate here are flowing smoothly.
Around 7:00 AM, congestion was extremely heavy, taking up to 10 and a half hours to travel from Seoul to Busan, but the return-to-hometown congestion began to ease little by little past 1:00 PM.
If you depart from Seoul right now, it takes a maximum of 4 and a half hours to reach Busan, which is similar to normal levels.
Let's take a look at the current road conditions.
First is the Seopyeongtaek Junction on the Seohaean Expressway.
While vehicles bound for Mokpo were almost at a standstill earlier, they are now gradually picking up speed.
Next is the Nami Overpass point on the Gyeongbu Expressway, where all traffic is moving without blockages, and the Bugok point on the Yeongdong Expressway also has a steady volume of traffic, but vehicle flow in both directions remains unimpeded.
Currently, traffic flow is smooth for both outbound and inbound routes.
[Anchor]
Tomorrow, on Chuseok day, returning vehicles are expected to crowd the roads, right?
[Reporter]
Yes, congestion on the return trip tomorrow, Chuseok day, is expected to begin around 7:00 AM and peak at 4:00 PM.
The Korea Expressway Corporation projected tomorrow's nationwide expressway traffic volume at 6.84 million vehicles, a 26.4% increase compared to the average of last year's Chuseok.
It is expected that the return traffic congestion will only be resolved past 2:00 AM the day after tomorrow.
Police and the Korea Expressway Corporation have urged drivers not to forget wearing seatbelts for a safe Chuseok holiday, and to take sufficient breaks in between to prevent accidents.
(Live Broadcasting: Park Young-il, Video Editing: Lee Sang-min)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.