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Busan Conducts Final Safety Inspection Ahead of Opening of the “Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway”

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Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Park Heong-joon announced that the city will visit the “Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway” site today (the 4th) at 1:30 p.m. to conduct a safety inspection.

This on-site inspection was arranged to comprehensively review the disaster response system and operational readiness ahead of the opening of the Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway.

The “Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway” is a deep underground tunnel with a total length of 9.62 kilometers (km) and four lanes (two in each direction). It connects Mandeok-dong (Mandeok-daero) in Buk-gu with Jaesong-dong (Suyeonggangbyeon-daero) in Haeundae-gu. Built to distribute traffic loads from existing ground-level arterial roads that pass through the city center, it is a key infrastructure project expected to lead a structural transformation of Busan’s urban transportation system.
Deep underground refers to a road tunnel constructed by boring at a depth of around 40 meters (m) below ground.

The project broke ground in October 2019 to ease chronic traffic congestion along heavily congested routes such as Chungnyeol-daero and Suyeonggangbyeon-daero, and it has now reached 100 percent completion. Busan Metropolitan City is closely reviewing facility safety and operational readiness in the final pre-opening inspection phase.

Project Overview of the Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway

• ●Project section: From Mandeok-dong (Mandeok-daero), Buk-gu to Jaesong-dong (Suyeonggangbyeon-daero), Haeundae-gu

• ●Project scale: Underground road, L=9,620 m, B=11–27.5 m (4 lanes, two-way), 3 interchanges (ICs)

• ●Construction period: November 2019 to February 2026

• ●Opening: February 10, 2026, midnight (00:00)

Today’s inspection will proceed in the following order: ▲project status briefing ▲smoke exhaust demonstration in case of fire ▲traffic status briefing.

The Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway is equipped with Disaster Prevention Grade 1 (the highest level) disaster prevention facilities and an integrated safety management system, and it features an advanced disaster response system tailored to the characteristics of a large-scale underground road. These include: a complex ventilation system (jet fans at entrances/exits and air purification facilities), fire hydrants at 50-meter intervals, water spray facilities at 5-meter intervals, evacuation routes (pedestrian passages every 250 meters and vehicle passages every 750 meters), three vertical shafts (stairs and elevators with capacity for 25 passengers), compartment-separated evacuation routes (Dongnae IC), fire suppression blankets and water tanks for electric vehicle fire response, and a fire training system.

At 1:40 p.m., the city will conduct a “smoke exhaust demonstration in case of fire” using the tunnel’s air purification facilities. In cooperation with the Fire Department, a smoke generator will be operated to simulate fire conditions, and the city will inspect the operation of smoke exhaust facilities and airflow control. Through this scenario-based response drill, the city plans to assess emergency response capability.

In addition, Busan Metropolitan City is comprehensively checking the normal operation of automated facility systems at the operations management office, appropriate staffing levels, and familiarity with emergency response manuals. In cooperation with the National Police Agency, the city is also reviewing the installation status of traffic safety facilities and operational readiness for integrated traffic management systems.

Meanwhile, the Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway is scheduled to open at midnight (00:00) on February 10. Once opened, travel time between Mandeok and Centum is expected to be reduced by more than 30 minutes, from 41.8 minutes to 11.3 minutes. This is expected not only to shorten travel time but also to reshape overall traffic flow in the city center.

The resulting economic effects are projected to include: ▲annual traffic cost savings of KRW 64.8 billion ▲production inducement effects of KRW 1.2332 trillion ▲9,599 jobs created.

In addition, environmental improvement effects are expected, including ▲improved urban accessibility through completion of the inner ring road network ▲stronger connectivity between daily living areas in eastern and western Busan ▲reduced congestion on surface roads ▲reduced vehicle idling and traffic jams, leading to lower vehicle emissions.

In particular, the tunnel is fully equipped with essential safety systems required for large-scale underground tunnels, including ▲firefighting systems ▲smoke control and ventilation facilities ▲evacuation and monitoring systems ▲a real-time integrated control system. It has also established response systems for complex disasters such as fires and flooding, thereby securing operational stability.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The Mandeok–Centum Urban Expressway is Korea’s first deep underground tunnel designed for all vehicles, and it is a symbolic project that elevates Busan’s infrastructure to the next level.” He added, “I sincerely thank everyone involved for their dedication throughout the construction period, and now that we are nearing the opening, I ask that you ensure a flawless finish in every respect.”

He continued, “Even after the opening, Busan Metropolitan City will continue to manage and operate the road with the utmost priority on citizen safety, along with improved convenience in traffic flow.”