Weekday Bus-Only Lane on Gyeongbu Expressway Extended to Anseong IC Starting June

Yeongdong Expressway to be Abolished

From now on, the operation section of the weekday bus-only lane on the Gyeongbu Expressway will be extended to Anseong Interchange, and the bus-only lane on the Yeongdong Expressway will be abolished.

The National Police Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 8th that the "Adjustment Plan for Expressway Bus-Only Lane Sections," which includes these changes, will be fully implemented starting from the 1st of next month.

Gyeongbu Expressway. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

The current expressway bus-only lane sections are as follows: on the Gyeongbu Line, weekdays from Yangjae Interchange to Osan Interchange (39.7 km), and Saturdays and holidays from Yangjae Interchange to Sintanjin Interchange (134.1 km); on the Yeongdong Line, only on Saturdays and holidays from Singal Junction to Hobeop Junction (26.9 km).

From the 1st of next month, when the adjustment plan is fully implemented, the Gyeongbu Line will be extended on weekdays only from Yangjae Interchange to Anseong Interchange (58.1 km). Conversely, the Yeongdong Line, which did not meet operational standards across the entire section, will be abolished.

So far, the National Police Agency has formed a consultative body with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Expressway Corporation, bus organizations, and civic groups to discuss the 'weekday Gyeongbu Line bus-only lane,' which required extension due to increased commuter buses in the southern Gyeonggi and Chungcheong areas, and the 'weekend Yeongdong Line bus-only lane,' which faced continuous complaints regarding effectiveness. Based on bus traffic volume and complaint status, they have prepared the above revision plan.

Yeongdong Expressway. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

From March 7th, a 20-day administrative notice period was held to gather opinions from related organizations, groups, and the public. Since there were few disagreements about the direction of the revision, only detailed sections were adjusted while maintaining the overall framework, and the National Police Agency revised the announcement on the 1st of this month.

However, the Gyeongbu Line point (Anseong Interchange) was finalized by extending it 2.1 km toward the Busan direction from the originally announced point, reflecting road structure and traffic volume to prepare for the risk of accidents during bus entry and exit.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, together with Korea Expressway Corporation, plans to maintain facilities such as installing guide signs and repainting lanes by the end of May, and continuously promote the section adjustment through road electronic signboards frequently seen by road users, service area banners, and traffic broadcasts.

The National Police Agency will also maintain bus-only lane violation enforcement cameras and minimize user confusion by taking guidance measures for a certain period after implementation at the extended section of the Gyeongbu Line.

The National Police Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "We will prepare thoroughly in advance to prevent inconvenience and confusion for the public," and added, "We will periodically analyze the effectiveness of the bus-only lanes and seek reasonable operation plans that align with the purpose of revitalizing public transportation."

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