0
Cars struggle up a snow-covered hill past an area where snow removal has not yet been completed near Hongdae in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on December 4, as a heavy snow advisory is in effect. / Source: Yonhap News

Traffic restrictions on highways and major roads in Seoul, imposed after a sudden heavy snowfall, have all been lifted.

According to the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS) on December 5, the final controls were removed at 4:53 a.m., when snow removal was completed on the section of Bundang–Suseo Road toward Seongnam between the south end of Cheongdam Bridge and Tancheon 1 Bridge. A total of 28 sections of urban expressways and nine city roads in central Seoul had been closed due to the snow the previous day.

Even after the restrictions were lifted, traffic flow remained sluggish.

As of 5:50 a.m., the average speed in central Seoul was 20.9 kilometers per hour, while the citywide average stood at 23.0 kilometers per hour, indicating slow-moving traffic.

Expecting heavy congestion during the morning commute due to the snowfall that continued into the early hours of December 5, the city government increased public transportation services and stepped up snow removal. Seoul added 20 extra subway runs during the morning rush hour and extended the concentrated dispatch time for city buses by 30 minutes to ease crowding.

Additional snow removal is being carried out on major sections at risk of icing, as well as on sidewalks and side streets where clearing has been insufficient.

The heavy snow advisory for Seoul was issued at 6 p.m. on December 4 and lifted at 8 p.m. the same day.