More cars expected on major roads over May Day holiday

Shanghai's Road Administration Bureau have predicted that about 4.4 million vehicles will use the city’s expressways during the upcoming May Day holiday, a 5 percent rise over the same period last year.

On April 28, the day before the holiday, it is estimated that 2.2 million vehicles will use the city’s elevated roads, a 5.5 percent rise over the same day last year.

During the evening rush hours, Yan’an Elevated Road, the Inner Ring Road and the North-South Elevated Road are expected to be even more congested than usual.

On the same day, a 13 percent rise in traffic over normal working days is predicted for the city’s expressways, with the G2, G15, G40, G50 and G60 in the outbound direction to see the most evident increases.

During the holiday, the heaviest congestion is expected from 8am to midday on April 29, and 2pm to 8pm on May 1.

The bureau warns that the G40 Expressway will be more congested than last year because three major bridges over the Yangtze River in neighboring Jiangsu Province have banned trucks during the three-day break.

From April 29 to May 1, all cars and passenger vehicles with seven seats or less can use the city's expressways free of charge.