3 freeway accidents cleared as Lunar New Year traffic builds

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Three traffic accidents that occurred Sunday afternoon on Taiwan's freeways have been cleared, with overall traffic remaining within expectations on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the Freeway Bureau said.

As of 5 p.m., traffic volume had reached 70.2 million vehicle-kilometers. Total traffic for the day was projected at 102 million vehicle-kilometers, according to a bureau press release.

All three accidents took place on southbound lanes.

At 2:34 p.m., two passenger cars collided at the 194.4-kilometer mark on National Freeway No. 3 in Chiayi County, blocking the outer lane.

Eighteen minutes later, at 2:52 p.m., a seven-vehicle crash occurred at the Wufeng entrance ramp in Taichung on the same freeway, occupying an inner ramp lane.

At 3:48 p.m., a tour bus and two passenger cars collided at the 70.4-kilometer mark on the elevated section of National Freeway No. 1 in Taoyuan, blocking the inner lane.

Meanwhile, traffic on provincial highways was mostly smooth Sunday, with only brief congestion reported on several sections linking to national freeways.

Heavier southbound traffic is expected Monday, Lunar New Year's Eve, particularly between 8 a.m. and noon, highway authorities said.