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Dongseo Elevated Highway “Toll Free” from August

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Busan Mayor Hur Nam-sik announced that the Dongseo Elevated Highway will be toll-free from August. This is expected to improve traffic conditions between East Busan and West Busan. Also, the Nakdong Bridge which is connected to the Dongseo Elevated Highway will start operating a switchable central lane during rush hours ( 6 a.m. ~ 8 a.m.) from July. The City expects this plan will help to relieve chronic traffic congestion from Dongseo Elevated Highway to Namhae Highway via the Nakdong Bridge. 

According to simulation results obtained by Busan City, the highway toll-free plan should improve traffic flow speeds on the section of the highway currently between the Gaegeum toll booth and the Jurye Ramp by 65 percent, from 20.6 to 34 kilometers per hour (km/h), and also result in traffic moving 40 percent faster (from 10.6 to 14.8 km/h) between the Jurye Ramp and the Gamjeon Ramp.

Approximately 86,000 vehicles including trucks, container trailers and passenger cars pass along the Dongseo Elevated Highway daily. This results in chronic traffic congestion and the cost of the congestion has been estimated at 25.71 million won per day, or 9.3 billion won per year. 

To maximize the effects of a toll-free Dongseo Elevated Highway, the Nakdong Bridge’s switchable central lane will be operated from July during the rush hour, from 6 a.m. until 8 a.m. for traffic leaving the city in a westerly direction, between Gamjeon IC and West Busan IC .

Busan City is considering making Hwangnyeong Tunnel, which exits onto the Dongseo Elevated Highway, toll-free from this year. It was previously scheduled not to have become a toll-free tunnel until 2016. 

The current toll-free tunnels and highways in Busan are Bunyeong-ro (from January 2004), Gudeok Tunnel and the second Mandeok Tunnel (from July 2005). Dongseo Elevated Highway and Hwangnyeong Tunnel will become toll-free later this year. The remaining tolled bridges and tunnels will be Gwangan Bridge, Baekyang Tunnel, Sujeong Tunnel and Myeongji Bridge (which will open to traffic this October). Busan City plans to make these tolled bridges and tunnels toll-free as soon as the city’s financial situation allows.