Machang Bridge Commuter Toll Fee Discounted by 20% Starting July 1

Promotion of Inha After 11 Years, Applied for 3 Years

Gyeongsangnam-do will offer a 20% discount on toll fees for commuting hours on the Machang Bridge for three years from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026.

On the 23rd, Gyeongnam Province held a briefing and explained, "This toll fee reduction is to fulfill the pledge of Governor Park Wan-su in the 8th local government," adding, "It is the first reduction in 11 years since the toll fee was raised to 2,500 won in August 2012."

According to the province, the toll discount will apply during weekday commuting hours from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The 20% discounted toll fees are ▲2,000 won for small cars ▲2,500 won for medium cars ▲3,000 won for large cars ▲4,000 won for extra-large cars.

Kim Young-sam, Director of Transportation and Construction Bureau of Gyeongnam Province, is announcing the policy to reduce toll fees on the Machang Bridge.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

Vehicles registered for disabled persons or national merit recipients, compact cars, and other vehicles eligible for discounts under Article 15, Paragraph 2 of the Paid Road Act and Article 8, Paragraph 3 of the Enforcement Decree of the same Act will only receive the highest applicable discount according to the law and cannot receive overlapping discounts.

The existing permanent 20% discount toll pass, which has been in operation since August 2012, will be maintained, but its continued use will be reviewed after monitoring usage trends over the three years.

At the Machang Bridge toll booth, discounted toll passes can be purchased in cash at the 20% reduced price and used or refunded within five years from the purchase date; this discount cannot be combined with the current discount.

The revenue loss caused by this discount is estimated at 700 million won annually, and Changwon City and Gyeongnam Province, which account for more than half of the vehicles using Machang Bridge during commuting hours, will share the financial burden at rates of 63% and 37%, respectively, to compensate for the loss.

Kim Young-sam, Director of the Transportation and Construction Bureau, said, "This is a representative cooperation model between the province and cities/counties in the 8th local government, achieved by securing the cooperation of Changwon City, which accounts for most users during commuting hours," adding, "It is a result of continuous communication and consultation between the province and Changwon City to meet residents' demands for revitalizing the local economy and reducing transportation costs."

He continued, "Following the toll discount on the Geoga Bridge in January and the upcoming Machang Bridge discount in July, we will work on long-term plans to reduce the province's financial burden and prepare measures to lower toll fees on privately financed roads," adding, "We will negotiate from multiple angles to fundamentally resolve issues with Machang Bridge and discuss necessary operational improvements."

Gyeongnam Province will continue to petition the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the upgrade of the Geoga-daero to an expressway, while completing a 300 million won-scale study on the status and improvement plans for local government privately financed roads by 2024, aiming to propose government-level toll reduction measures.

Director Kim said, "We will continue to do our best to gradually reduce the toll burden on Geoga Bridge and Machang Bridge, improve transportation convenience for residents, and secure the public nature of privately financed roads."

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