Parts of Highway Ramps to be Closed During Labor Day Weekend; Freeway Bureau Urges Attention

Central News Agency

(CNA, Taipei, 18th, Reporter Huang Chiao-wen) There are 3 days for the Labor Day holiday weekend this year. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Freeway Bureau stated today that a massive volume of tourist traffic is expected on the national freeways. Ramp closure controls will be implemented on certain sections and at specific times. Road users are reminded to pay attention and drive according to the relevant signs.

The Labor Day holiday runs from May 1 to 3, totaling 3 days. The Freeway Bureau previously assessed that traffic demand will primarily be tourism-related. It is estimated that holiday traffic volume will range from 107 to 115 million vehicle kilometers (mvk), with southbound traffic on the first day reaching 62 mvk, which is 1.3 times that of a regular weekday.

Anticipating a massive influx of tourist traffic on the national freeways during the Labor Day weekend, the Freeway Bureau issued a press release stating that ramp closure controls will be implemented on certain sections and at specific times to relieve the sudden surge of massive traffic. They remind road users to pay extra attention and follow the relevant signs.

According to the Freeway Bureau, based on the characteristics of the Labor Day holiday and analysis of historical data, they will close partial entrance ramps at interchanges that frequently experience congestion during holidays or perform poorly on regular weekends. They have also planned alternative detour routes to reduce the interference of traffic merging into the main lines.

Regarding the directions, times, and locations of the ramp closures, the Freeway Bureau stated that for southbound traffic: From 5 AM to 12 PM on May 1, the southbound entrances at the Pingzhen System and Puyan System interchanges on National Freeway 1; from 12 AM to 12 PM, the southbound entrances at the Shiding and Pinglin interchanges on National Freeway 5. From 5 AM to 12 PM on May 2, the southbound entrance at the Puyan System interchange on National Freeway 1, and the southbound entrances at the Shiding and Pinglin interchanges on National Freeway 5.

For northbound traffic: From 12 PM to 9 PM on May 2, the northbound entrances at the Huwei and Puyan System interchanges on National Freeway 1, and the northbound entrance at the Xibin interchange on National Freeway 3. From 12 PM to 9 PM on May 3, ramp closure controls will be applied to the northbound entrances at the Huwei and Puyan System interchanges on National Freeway 1, and the northbound entrance at the Xibin interchange on National Freeway 3.

For the aforementioned closed interchange ramps, the Freeway Bureau noted that a total of 8 detour routes have been planned. When road users pass through the control points before the closed ramps, they must pay attention to and follow the on-site signs.

The Freeway Bureau suggests that road users check real-time freeway traffic conditions through the "Real-time Video" function of the Freeway 1968 App before departure, and utilize the "Alternative Routes" function to choose a suitable path, making their journey more convenient and smooth.