Congestion expected on several freeway sections Friday: Bureau

Taipei, April 5 (CNA) Heavy traffic can be expected on several sections of Taiwan's freeways on Friday as drivers hit the road on the second day of the four-day Tomb Sweeping Festival, according to the Freeway Bureau.

Congestion can be expected along several sections of National Freeway No. 1, including the southbound lanes between Zhongli and Yangmei and between Yangmei and Toufen, the bureau said in a press release.

Heavy traffic can also be expected on the southbound lanes between Changhua and Puyan in central Taiwan, as well as the northbound lanes near the Yuanshan-Dahua interchange, it said.

According to the freeway bureau's live traffic app 1968 as of 11:20 a.m., the heaviest traffic (moving at speeds between 20 and 40 kilometers per hours) on the No. 1 freeway was seen on northbound lanes between Neihu and Wudu and southbound between Hukou and Hsinchu.

Traffic had also built up on southbound lanes between Changhua and Yuanlin in the south.

On National Freeway No. 3, traffic jams are expected on the Zhonghe-Guanxi and Kuaiguan-Mingjian sections, and on National Freeway No. 5, traffic was expected to be heavy traveling south between Nangang and Toucheng.

As of 11:20 a.m., the main tie-ups seen on the No. 3 freeway were on southbound lanes between Yingge and Daxi in the north and in the Wufeng area and from Zhongxing to Mingjian in central Taiwan.

Traffic was also building up on the southbound lanes of the 12.8-kilometer long Xueshan Tunnel on the No. 5 freeway, with vehicles moving at speeds of 40-60 kilometers.

As of 7 a.m., traffic on national freeways was normal, with an average traffic volume of 9.5 million vehicle-kilometers (MVK).

The all-day traffic flow on national freeways around Taiwan is projected to reach 117 MVK on Friday, it said.

Traffic control measures will be implemented at the northbound entrance on the Su'ao, Luodong, Yilan and Toucheng interchanges on the No. 5 freeway from 1-6 p.m. Friday, with only high-occupancy vehicles allowed access.