Busan to scrap Gwangandaero tolls during rush hours starting Wednesday

Busan will eliminate tolls on Gwangandaero during commuting hours starting Wednesday, the city announced Tuesday. On weekdays — excluding Saturdays and public holidays — the road's existing 50% toll discount during the 6–9 a.m. and 6–8 p.m. windows will be replaced with a full exemption.

The waiver applies to all vehicles passing through Gwangandaero during those hours on weekdays, and no advance registration or separate application is required.

Gwangandaero is an eight-lane, two-way expressway stretching 7,420 meters long and 18 to 25 meters wide, running from Daeyeon-dong in Nam-gu to U-dong in Haeundae-gu. Built at a total cost of 789.9 billion won ($516 million), the road was completed in 2002 and opened to traffic in 2003, and is operated directly by the Busan metropolitan government. Day-to-day operations are entrusted to the Busan Facilities Corporation, which charges 500 won for compact vehicles, 1,000 won for standard vehicles, and 1,500 won for large and special-purpose vehicles.

The city first introduced a 20% commuter discount in August 2009, then raised it to 50% in January 2018. Last May 26, it extended the morning discount window by one hour, moving the start time from 7 a.m. to 6 a.m. The latest measure goes further, making the full three-hour morning commute and two-hour evening commute toll-free.

Meanwhile, the city said it will step up traffic monitoring on Eulsukdo Bridge and Sanseong Tunnel, where commuter-hour toll exemptions are already in place. Authorities plan to crack down on congestion-causing behavior such as unnecessary shoulder stops and excessive slow driving, and are prepared to revoke toll exemptions for repeat offenders if necessary.