Heavier traffic seen on Taiwan's freeways at start of Tomb Sweeping Festival

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) Traffic was building on several sections of Taiwan's freeway network on Thursday morning, as many residents were returning home for the long Tomb Sweeping Festival weekend.

Traffic volume on Thursday was expected to reach 124 million vehicle kilometers, the highest during the four-day holiday and 1.3 times the normal daily volume, according to Taiwan's Freeway Bureau.

As of Thursday morning, heavy traffic congestion was recorded across the country's national freeways, with average speeds dropping to less than 40 kilometers per hour in many areas, the bureau said.

On the northbound lanes of National Freeway No. 3, between Xindian District in New Taipei and the Muzha Rest Area in Taipei, traffic speeds were at a sluggish 17 kph as of 8:25 a.m., the bureau reported.

Traffic speeds of under 40 kph were recorded on the northbound section of National Freeway No. 3 from Muzha Rest Area to Muzha, National Freeway No. 1 southbound from Yangmei to Zhubei, and parts of National Freeway No. 3 southbound from Daxi to Gaoyuan, according to the bureau.

It projected that traffic speeds on the southbound sections of the national freeways would be 70 million vehicle kilometers -- 1.5 times the typical daily volume.

To manage the heavier traffic flows, the bureau said, it had closed the ramps at the Pingzhen System Interchange and the Puyan System Interchange from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Thursday.

The southbound entry ramps at Shiding and Pinglin on National Freeway No. 5 have also been closed from midnight Wednesday to 12.00 p.m. Thursday, converting the Shiding entrance in New Taipei into a bus-only lane during that period, according to the bureau.

High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) controls were enforced from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Thursday on National Freeway No. 1, between Taipei's Neihu District and Miaoli County's Toufen City, as well as on National Freeway No. 3, from Muzha District to Xiangshan in Xinyi District in Taipei, restricting the southbound entry ramps.

The bureau has also recommended that drivers use alternative routes, including Provincial Highway No. 9, for travel from Toucheng Township in Yilan County to Pinglin District in New Taipei, and Provincial Highway No. 61 for travel between Zhubei City and Tainan.

Other suggested routes included Provincial Highway No. 63 for travel between Taichung and Nantou, and Provincial Highway No. 74 for travel from Wufeng to the Taichung System Interchange or the Zhonggang System Interchange, the bureau said.