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Some 46 million people are expected to travel to spend the New Year¡¯s holiday with their relatives in their hometowns. And a survey shows that 80 percent of them will use their cars for the trip, causing hellish traffic jams up and down the country. The Korea Expressway Corporation predicted that traffic congestion would be the most disastrous on Wednesday morning, when it will take nine hours to travel from Seoul to Daejon. By bus, it will take one or two hours less, thanks to the ¡°bus-only¡± lane on highways.
On return, travelers will experience the most congested roads on Friday morning. A trip from Daejon to Seoul will then take some five-and-a-half hours, from Busan to Seoul eight hours and 40 minutes, and from Gwangju to Seoul seven hours and 10 minutes. Some 23.8 million cars will use the highways during the New Year¡¯s holidays from Wednesday to Sunday, up 3.9 percent from last year, or a whopping 3.4 million cars a day. Although the holiday is longer than usual, people will inevitably experience traffic jams if they pick the wrong time.
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A family makes a video phone call to the grandmother in their hometown amid heavy New Year¡¯s holiday traffic on their way from Seoul. /Newsis
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The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast snow in most parts of the nation on Friday, when a large number of people are likely to return from their hometowns. The snow is expected to aggravate traffic congestion. Strong winds and high waves were predicted at sea from Lunar New Year¡¯s Day on Thursday until Saturday. The weather forecaster said a cold low pressure system will expand from the northeast to the Korean Peninsula on Friday, and snow will fall starting in the western coastal area and spread to the east coast. It cautioned about frozen roads and asked motorists to take extra care.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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