Sasang–Haeundae Deep Underground Expressway Moves Forward as Council Approves Agreement on East–West Elevated Road

[Financial News] The Sasang–Haeundae Deep Underground Expressway project is expected to gain momentum after the Busan Metropolitan Council approved a draft agreement on how to handle the East–West Elevated Road. The project involves a 22.8-kilometer expressway connecting the Namhae Expressway Branch 2 in Gamjeon-dong, Sasang District, with the Donghae Expressway in Songjeong-dong, Haeundae District, through an underground tunnel. It is a large-scale social overhead capital project designed to create a one-hour living zone across the Southeastern Metropolitan Economic Zone centered on Busan.
According to the city government on the 11th, the city and the preferred bidder discussed the procedures to be carried out by the city, as well as the scope and cost of demolition work related to the East–West Elevated Road. These details were reflected in the draft agreement.
The draft agreement approved by the council will be submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). Subsequent procedures, including the execution of the concession agreement, will then proceed.
Once the Sasang–Haeundae Deep Underground Expressway opens, travel time from Gimhae International Airport in western Busan to eastern Busan is expected to fall from 83 minutes to 36 minutes, a reduction of about 47 minutes.
The project is expected to improve Busan’s urban space and transportation system by dispersing traffic on major urban roads, reducing travel times, improving logistics accessibility, and enhancing transportation links to Gadeok Island New Airport.
By connecting eastern and western Busan with a high-speed arterial network, the project is also expected to lay the foundation for integrating the two areas into a single living and economic zone. Anticipated benefits include strengthening the competitiveness of industrial complexes in western Busan, enhancing links with the tourism and MICE industries in eastern Busan, and improving mobility between residential areas and business districts.
Plans for the demolition or preservation of the East–West Elevated Road, which had been identified as a key challenge for the project, are also taking shape.
During construction of the deep underground expressway, demolition of the elevated road will be unavoidable along two-kilometer sections at the starting and ending points. For the Hakjang–Jinyang section, however, the city plans to decide whether to demolish the road or preserve it through measures such as converting it into a park after a public consultation process.
After the concession agreement for the expressway is finalized, the Busan Metropolitan City Government plans to gather sufficient public opinion before determining how to handle the East–West Elevated Road.
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter