New Year Homebound Travelers Clog Expressways

On January 20, a day ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, a total of 39.08 million people began their homebound pilgrimage.

In the afternoon, their homecoming travel went into full swing, clogging expressways and national road nationwide.

After 1 p.m. on January 20 afternoon, automobiles began to drastically congest the Busan-bound expressway for 66 kilometers between Hannam Grand Bridge and the Yipjang rest area and for 36 kilometers between the city of Cheonan and Jukam.

Automobiles moved along at a snail’s pace for eight kilometers between west Cheongju and Nami, for 25 kilometers between Gonjian and Moga, and 11 kilometers between Hanam and Gwangju on the Central Expressway. On the Ganneung-bound Youngdong Expressway, the congestion was the largest between the 17.4 kilometer-stretch between Seochang and the Ansan junction, 17.4 kilometers between Gunpo and Singal, and eight kilometers between Maseong and Yongin.

The congestion was also serious on the West Coast Expressway for six kilometers between Unsan and Haemi, 14 kilometers between Songak and Namdangjin, and 47.9 kilometers between Geumcheon and West Pyongtaek.

A series of pile-up accidents added to the congestion between 12:24 p.m. and 2:05 p.m. on the Seoul-Busan expressway.

The congestion will reach its climax in the afternoon of January 21 as many automobiles will hit the road between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., the Korea Highway Corporation projected. Seoul-bound congestion will reach its peak at about 5:00 p.m. on January 23.

“About 310,000 vehicles will use expressways to leave the Seoul metropolitan area on January 20 alone,” the corporation said. “About 308,000 and about 298,000 automobiles will return to Seoul on January 23 and January 24 respectively.”

“A total of 20.08 million automobiles will use the expressways between January 20 and January 26, up six percent year-on-year,” said the ministry of construction and traffic.

Bitter winter freezes will likely add trouble to travelers. The temperature will fall below sub-zero 10 on a Celsius temperature scale in Chungheong provinces, southwestern regions, and Jeju and Ulung islands. Snow is underway and travelers should be cautious as the road could be glazed with ice.

“It will snow in Chungcheong and the southwestern regions on January 21 and 22 when the ‘war of returning to Seoul’ starts. The day’s lowest temperature will be about minus 10 Celsius degree. Motorists should use extra caution,” the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

The cold temperature increased the number of road travelers by six percent to 20.08 million, according to the Korea Highway Corporation.

Ocean waves are also forecasted to rise as high as four meters during the highways, making sea trips uneasy.

On January 21, the first day of the holidays, the temperature will fall below minus 11 Celsius degrees in Seoul. On January 22, New Year’s Day, it will further fall to 13 degrees while it will be 16 degrees in Chuncheon.

Winter freezes will continue until January 23, the last day of holidays and will finally decline on January 25.

However, it will snow in Chungcheong and in the southwestern regions on January 24 and January 25, creating trouble for those who returning to Seoul