Do you complain about traffic? Think about the millions of drivers stuck for 36 hours in a massive traffic jam in China

Millions of travelers stuck for 36 hours in traffic in China: the massive jam at Wuzhuang toll station symbolizes how difficult it is to manage mass tourism during holidays

Do you complain about the traffic you encounter every day on your way home or to work? Imagine what millions of Chinese drivers felt when they were stuck for over 36 hours in an endless queue in Anhui province. It all happened at the Wuzhuang toll station, the largest in the country with 36 lanes, where cars transformed into a river of red lights visible even from drones.

Images shared on Weibo and Douyin showed a spectacle as surreal as it was frustrating: a sea of motionless vehicles under the night sky. The reason? The return of millions of travelers after an eight-day holiday combining National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. An explosive mix that turned traffic into a real case study for mobility experts.

The reasons behind the record-breaking jam

The Wuzhuang Toll Station, located at the intersection of the G40 Shanghai-Shaanxi and G42 Shanghai-Chengdu expressways, became the epicenter of chaos. Despite its 36 lanes (12 inbound and 24 outbound), the toll station recorded peaks of over 14,800 vehicles per hour, numbers that even the most optimistic couldn’t have managed.

The problem isn’t just about traffic: it’s a logistical collapse caused by a series of factors. The “free passage” policy, which allows private vehicles to travel toll-free during holidays, pushed millions of Chinese to hit the road simultaneously. A great idea for domestic tourism, but disastrous for traffic flow.

Between rain, typhoons and bottlenecks

Making things worse was Typhoon Maidem, which brought heavy rain and further slowed travel. Even though 66 new temporary gates and so-called “tidal lanes” were introduced to ease traffic, the situation remained unmanageable.

Experts identified other critical points: the natural bottlenecks created by lane merging, the lack of real-time coordination, and above all, the unpredictable number of cars on the road. The result? A gigantic 36-hour queue that turned the highway into an open-air parking lot. Authorities then issued warnings to stagger returns, but by then the damage was done.

The “river of red lights” at the Wuzhuang toll station isn’t just a viral event: it’s a warning to all countries that want to promote mass tourism without upgrading infrastructure. And the next time you’re stuck on the ring road… think that at least you’re not in a 36-hour queue.