Miryang City, a Key Transportation Hub with Access in All Directions ... Yeongnam Region Hub City

Strengthening East-West-North-South Connections and Inter-Regional Linkages in the Yeongnam Region

Miryang City in Gyeongnam announced on the 2nd that it is emerging as a key transportation hub in Yeongnam, advancing one step further as a hub city in the Yeongnam region.

Located in the northeastern part of Gyeongsangnam-do, Miryang is an inland city situated midway between the major cities of Busan, Daegu, and Ulsan, and is also adjacent to the large cities of Gimhae, Changwon, and Yangsan. Additionally, the Hamyang-Ulsan Expressway and Daegu-Busan Expressway intersect in all directions, connecting various areas within the Yeongnam region.

Expressway No. 14 (Hamyang~Ulsan Expressway) Changnyeong~Miryang Section Construction Site near Jeonggok-ri, Muan-myeon. [Image provided by Miryang City]

In the past, Miryang was a railway-centered transportation hub with the Gyeongbu Line and Gyeongjeon Line passing through and being the first city in the province where the KTX stopped. In the coming years, with the completion of expressways, national roads, national-supported local roads, and local roads, it will also gain attention as a central hub for road transportation. The city has high expectations for regional development and population inflow.

The construction of the Changnyeong-Miryang Expressway is a new 4-lane project spanning 28.5 km, connecting the Miryang Junction on the Daegu-Busan Expressway and the Changnyeong Junction on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway, part of the 144.6 km Hamyang-Ulsan Expressway section. With a budget of 1.5367 trillion KRW, the Korea Expressway Corporation is implementing the project, which began in October 2016 and is scheduled to open in December 2024.

This section will feature a Miryang Rest Area (tentative name) in both directions at Muan-myeon and the opening of the Seomiryang Interchange (tentative name), expected to enhance logistics connections to the Nano Convergence National Industrial Complex and revitalize the city and western areas. The driving distance from Miryang to Changnyeong will be reduced by 8 km (from 37 km to 29 km), and travel time will be shortened by 18 minutes (from 50 minutes to 32 minutes).

Furthermore, once the entire Hamyang-Ulsan Expressway (Hapcheon-Changnyeong 36.8 km, Hamyang-Hapcheon 34.1 km), which passes through Uiryeong-gun, Hapcheon-gun, Geochang-gun, and Hamyang-gun, is opened, accessibility between Miryang and the western Gyeongnam region will improve.

The construction of the Gimhae-Miryang Expressway is a new 4-lane project spanning 18.8 km, connecting the NamMiryang Interchange on the Daegu-Busan Expressway in Sangnam-myeon and the Jinrye Interchange on the Namhae Expressway in Jinrye-myeon, Gimhae City. With a budget of 1.0241 trillion KRW, this project will significantly strengthen connectivity with Busan New Port through its linkage with the Busan New Port-Gimhae Expressway construction.

Five projects included in the 5th National Road and National Local Road Construction Plan (2021?2025) involve new road construction, expansion, and facility improvements, with a total budget of 208.2 billion KRW.

First, a new 2-lane road construction project (5.29 km, 71.9 billion KRW) will connect the disconnected section of National Road No. 58 between Bubuk and Sangdong, with design completion expected by December this year. The construction of the Bubuk-Sangnam National Road (new 4-lane, 1.75 km, 38.5 billion KRW) and the Muan-Bubuk National Road (2-lane improvement, 3.36 km, 47.1 billion KRW) began design work in July last year. The Orye-Unjeon National Road construction (4-lane expansion, 1.85 km, 26.3 billion KRW) and Samrangjin Samrang National Road construction (4-lane expansion, 0.63 km, 24.4 billion KRW) are also planned to proceed promptly.

Once the five sections included in the 5th National Road and National Local Road Construction Plan open, chronic traffic congestion will be alleviated, and logistics routes for industrial complexes such as the Nano Convergence National Industrial Complex and Sapo General Industrial Complex will be secured, which is expected to boost industrial complex revitalization and attract businesses in the future.

The Bonggang-Muan National Local Road construction is an 8.98 km, 88.6 billion KRW facility improvement project involving 2- and 4-lane roads connecting Seongdeok-ri in Muan-myeon and Dong-eup in Changwon City. The Muan-Sinbeop National Local Road construction is a 5.9 km, 23.7 billion KRW 2-lane facility improvement project connecting Seongdeok-ri and Sinbeop-ri in Muan-myeon. The Sinbeop-Dongsan National Local Road construction is a 7.2 km, 34 billion KRW 2-lane facility improvement project connecting Sinbeop-ri and Dongsan-ri in Muan-myeon.

All sections are implemented by Gyeongnam Province. The Dong-eup-Bonggang section (10.1 km, new 4-lane project) was completed and opened in February this year. The Bonggang-Muan section began construction in June last year and is scheduled for completion in September 2026. The Muan-Sinbeop section started construction in May. The Sinbeop-Dongsan section is currently under design by the Busan Regional Land Management Office, aiming to improve the existing road with poor alignment and narrow width. This project will strengthen accessibility to Muan-myeon and enable mutual development with Changwon City and Changnyeong-gun.

The construction of Local Road No. 1080 Muan-Naei is a 7.24 km, 120.5 billion KRW 4-lane expansion project from Hangol Intersection in Jedae-ri, Bubuk-myeon to Sinbeop-ri in Muan-myeon. It is being promoted to alleviate traffic volume and improve the traffic environment due to the establishment of the Nano Convergence National Industrial Complex and the new Seomiryang Interchange (tentative name) on the Hamyang-Ulsan Expressway.

For each section, the Nano National Industrial Complex access road is implemented by the Busan Regional Land Management Office, the Jeonggok-Maheul section by Gyeongnam Province, and the Seomiryang IC access road by the Korea Expressway Corporation. Construction began in 2016 and is scheduled for completion in 2024. The Sinbeop-Jeonggok section was completed in 2021. The mountainous winding road is being improved with tunnels, and in conjunction with the construction of National Supported Local Road No. 30, accessibility between Muan-myeon and the city living area is being strengthened.

Aiming to become a hub city in the Yeongnam region, Miryang City had the Gimhae-Miryang Expressway construction project, with a total budget of 1.0241 trillion KRW, included in the 2022 '2nd Expressway Construction Plan.' In 2021, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's '5th National Road 5-Year Construction Plan' included five national road projects with a total budget of 208.2 billion KRW, providing momentum for progress.

The city is expected to play a pivotal role in advancing large-scale investment projects such as the Nano Convergence National Industrial Complex, Miryang Rural Tourism and Recreation Complex, Smart Farm Innovation Valley, National Mountaineering School, Gyeongnam Career Education Center, and Theater Education Experience Center, by seamlessly connecting the entire Yeongnam region.

Mayor Park Il-ho said, "We are actively promoting road infrastructure to leverage Miryang City's geographical advantage at the center of major cities and to dynamically develop the city," adding, "As Miryang becomes the logistics center of the Yeongnam region, it will become an even more competitive city."

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