President Lee Kang-rae of Korea Expressway Corp. (KEC)

Korea Expressway Corp. (KEC) is soon to launch a project to build an expressway connecting Hamyang, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway section is part of an ongoing project to construct an expressway that will connect Hamyang and Ulsan at a combined cost of 55.89 trillion won. The whole Hamyang-Ulsan expressway is divided into four portions. Hamyang-Hapcheon section is one of the four portions.

The four-lane 34.1 km-long Hamyang-Hapcheon expressway section will be dedicated by December 2024 at a cost of 1.275 trillion won.

The section, which will link Jigok-myeon, Hamyang Country and Yongju-myeon, Yongju-myeon, will be construed with a design speed of 80 km to 100 km per hour. Traffic volume of the expressway is predicted to range from 14,648 cars to 24,066 vehicles daily in 2043.

The Hamyang-Hapcheon expressway section will have facilities such as two interchanges: Namgochang and Hapcheonho, two junctions: Bukhamyang and Geochang, two rest areas: Hapcheonho on both sides, 42 bridges, measuring 7.1 km long in combined length, and 10 tunnels, measuring 18.2 km long in combined length.

The business benefit value of the Hamyang-Hapcheon portion is estimated at 219.1 billion won on a yearly basis, while that of the whole Hamyang-Ulsan expressway will surge to 833.4 billion won.

The distance of driving between Hamyang and Hapcheon will be reduced from current 53.1 km to 34.1 km, while the drive time will be cut to 21.9 minutes from 65 minutes. The Hamyang-Hapcheon expressway will be divided into six portions.

The first, 5 km-long section, connecting Masan-ri, Jigok-myeon and Hwanggok-ri, Aneui-myeon, will be constructed by Ssangyong E&C, while the second, 4.84 km-long portion, linking Hwanggok-ri, Aneui-myeon, and Dundong-ri, Namsang-myeon, will be built by Dongbu E&C.

The third, 5.6 km-long section, bridging Dundong-ri, Namsang-myeon, and Gwajeong-ri, Shinwon-myeon, will be undertaken by Doosan E&C while the fourth, 7.34 km-long portion, linking Gwajeong-ri, Shinwon-myeon, and Hageum-ri, Daebyeong-myeon, will be implemented by Hanwha E&C.

The fourth, 4.09 km-long section, linking Hageum-ri, Daebyeong-myeon, and Hweoang-ri, Daebyeong-myeon, will be done by Kyerong Construction Industrial while the sixth, 7.22 km-long portion, bridging Hweoang-ri, Daebyeong-myeon, and Jangjeon-ri, Yongju-myeon, will be built by Hanwha E&C.

28th Road Day Anniversary

The nation will hold a ceremony to celebrate the 29th anniversary of Road Day.

The anniversary event is meant to raise pride in transportation infrastructure leading the economic growth of the country. Road Day was started on July 7, 1992, which was the opening day of the Seoul-Busan Expressway, the nation’s first major highway.

Continuous construction of expressways leads to balanced regional development and improves the quality of life.

The expressways, which spanned 3,762 km in 2013, will become a national network of seven vertical lines and nine horizontal lines which will span 6,160 km by 2020. This will allow drivers to reach any place in Korea in half a day.