This Lunar New Year, Geogadaero and Palyong Tunnel Are Also 'Free'

Gyeongnam Province Waives Toll Fees on All Private Roads During Holiday Period

Park Hyun-sook, Director of Construction Support Division of Gyeongnam Province, is announcing the free toll implementation on private roads in the province during the Lunar New Year holiday. / Photo by Lee Se-ryeong ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 11th that highway tolls will be waived during the 2023 Lunar New Year holiday period.

From midnight on the 21st to midnight on the 24th, tolls will be free on all privately operated roads managed by the province and Changwon City, including the Machang Bridge, the road between Changwon and Busan, Geoga-daero, Changwon City's coastal road, and the Goseong-Tongyeong general national road section.

Park Hyunsuk, Director of the Construction Support Division, explained, "Last Chuseok holiday, toll exemption was applied only to two private roads excluding Geoga-daero, but this time, through active consultation with Busan City and Changwon City, it will apply to all private roads in the province."

Gyeongnam Province expects a total of 670,000 vehicles to benefit from the toll exemption during this Lunar New Year holiday.

It is estimated that about 230,000 vehicles will use Machang Bridge, 240,000 on the road between Changwon and Busan, and 200,000 on Geoga-daero.

The total benefit to users is estimated at 2.8 billion KRW, which will be fully supported.

According to the province, the expected traffic volume for Palyong Tunnel and the Jigae-Namsan section under Changwon City's jurisdiction is 90,000 vehicles, and Changwon City will separately support 100 million KRW for the toll exemption for this section.

To minimize confusion for road users during the holiday period, the toll exemption implementation will be announced through electronic road signs on private roads and the province’s website, and banners will be posted, with both online and offline promotions planned.

A provincial official said, "We have secured 300 million KRW in national funds for a government budget to conduct a feasibility study for improving local government private roads to resolve the toll issues of Machang Bridge and Geoga Bridge," adding, "We will continue to gradually ease the toll burden and prepare long-term reform plans to enhance transportation convenience for residents."

Director Park said, "We expect the toll exemption decision to be good news for homebound travelers and tourists," and added, "It is also expected to contribute to economic revitalization due to the increase in tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.