Some 5.7 million vehicles are expected to crowd highways nationwide on the 3rd, the first day of the National Foundation Day holiday, with severe congestion forecast mainly in the outbound direction. The drive from Seoul to Busan could take up to six hours and 40 minutes.
Korea Expressway Corp. projected nationwide highway traffic at 5.7 million vehicles for the day. About 450,000 vehicles are expected to leave the greater Seoul area, while 420,000 are forecast to come in. Traffic is expected to be heaviest on this day among the three days of the holiday.
Outbound lanes, crowded with holiday travelers and those heading to hometowns, are expected to clog from early morning. Congestion will begin around 6 a.m., peak between 10 a.m. and noon, and gradually ease around 7 to 8 p.m. Bottlenecks are expected to be pronounced on major routes including the Yeongdong Expressway and the Jungbu Expressway.
Seoul-bound traffic will start slowing around 9 a.m. and reach its worst around 4 to 5 p.m. Flows are not expected to return to normal until 9 to 10 p.m.
For drivers passing a tollgate at 10 a.m., the estimated travel time from Seoul is six hours and 40 minutes to Busan, six hours and 20 minutes to Ulsan, four hours and 40 minutes to Gangneung, four hours and 10 minutes to Daejeon, five hours and 20 minutes to Gwangju and five hours and 40 minutes to Daegu. The trip from West Seoul to Mokpo is estimated at six hours and 10 minutes, and from Namyangju to Yangyang at three hours and 40 minutes.
In the opposite direction, travel to Seoul is expected to take five hours and 30 minutes from Busan, five hours and 10 minutes from Ulsan, two hours and 40 minutes from Gangneung, two hours from Daejeon, three hours and 50 minutes from Gwangju and four hours and 30 minutes from Daegu. The drive from Mokpo to West Seoul is estimated at three hours and 50 minutes, and from Yangyang to Namyangju at one hour and 50 minutes.
