Heavy congestion is expected over the four-day Tomb Sweeping long weekend, as millions prepare to travel for ancestral rites and spring outings, the Freeway Bureau said.
Southbound traffic is expected to peak tomorrow and on Saturday, while northbound flow would be heaviest on Sunday and Monday, the bureau said.
Fifty two percent of trips during the holiday are expected to be for tomb sweeping activities and visiting hometowns, while 34 percent would be for tourism, the bureau’s data showed.
Photo: CNA
People are advised to use public transportation, such as intercity buses, railways and the high-speed rail, as traffic demand is expected to significantly exceed weekday levels, the bureau said.
For those who must drive, the bureau provided the following recommendations to avoid the worst congestion:
Western freeways
Southbound drivers on western freeways are advised to depart before 5am or after 12pm tomorrow and on Saturday. Heavy traffic is expected in the morning, particularly at bottlenecks in Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Changhua counties, as well as sections near cemeteries in Taichung, and Miaoli and Nantou counties.
On Sunday and Monday, northbound travelers from central Taiwan are advised to depart before 12pm, while those from southern Taiwan should leave before 9am.
National Freeway No. 5
Southbound drivers on National Freeway No. 5 should depart before 5am or after 5pm tomorrow and on Saturday. Congestion is expected to build from 5am until the afternoon.
Northbound drivers are advised to depart before 9am. Heavy traffic is expected from 9am until late at night.
Traffic controls
Tomorrow, the southbound entrances in Shiding District (石碇) and Pinglin District (坪林) on National Freeway No. 5 are to be closed from 12am to 12pm. The Shiding entrance is to remain open for large buses only.
The southbound entrances at Pingzhen (平鎮) Junction and Puyan (埔鹽) Junction on National Freeway No. 1 are to be closed from 5am to 12pm.
On Saturday, the southbound entrances at Puyan Junction on National Freeway No. 1, as well as Shiding and Pinglin on National Freeway No. 5, are to be closed from 5am to 12pm.
On Sunday and Monday, the northbound entrances at Puyan Junction and Huwei Township (虎尾) on National Freeway No. 1, and Xibin (西濱) on National Freeway No. 3, are to be closed from 12pm to 9pm.
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