 |
People are seen on a beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on July 7. (Yonhap) |
Traffic between Seoul and Gangwon Province is expected to surge considerably during the summer vacation season, with trips from Seoul to the eastern coast taking as long as five hours and 50 minutes.
According to the Gangwon Provincial headquarters of the Korea Expressway Corporation, an estimated 433,000 cars a day were expected to be on the expressways of the province between July 25 and Aug.11, the peak of the vacation season in South Korea. This is up 11.6 percent from the daily 386,000 cars in the same period the year before.
The majority of the road traffic on the expressways comprises people moving between the Greater Seoul area and Gangwon's major cities, many of which are located adjacent to the East Sea. Intra-provincial traffic is low, as Gangwon is the least populated of all eight provinces in mainland South Korea.
As such, the estimated travel time between Seoul and coastal cities and towns is expected to be longer than usual. The congestion is presumed to peak on Aug.3, a Saturday at the peak of the vacation season.
Gangneung is around 200 kilometers from Seoul and usually takes around three hours by expressway with moderate traffic. But those leaving for Gangneung on the morning of Aug.3 can expect to arrive in five hours and 50 minutes.
Those heading for Yangyang-gun from Seoul on the same morning can anticipate a travel time of four hours and 40 minutes.
The Yangyang-Seoul route the next day is expected to take about four hours and 50 minutes, while the Gangneung-Seoul route on the same day is estimated to take four hours and 40 minutes.
The road traffic authorities said they will enforce emergency measures to address congestion issues until Aug.11. The measures include operating the expressway shoulders as reversible lanes and allowing smaller cars to use those lanes at lower speeds during specific times.
