Geoje-Masan National Route 5 Construction to Resume Next Year

Construction on a section of the long-delayed Geoje-Masan National Route 5 project will resume next year.

South Gyeongsang Province announced in a briefing Wednesday that 500 million won for detailed design and other project costs for the Geoje-Masan (National Route 5) construction project has been included in next year's government budget.

The National Route 5 project aims to build a 24.8-kilometer road connecting Masanhappo-gu in Changwon to Jangmok-myeon in Geoje. With a total project cost of 1.2 trillion won ($890 million), construction is being carried out in three sections: the Changwon land section (13.1 km), the maritime section (7.7 km), and the Geoje land section (4 km). The Changwon land section, which cost 403.9 billion won, began construction in 2012 and opened in early 2021.

However, the project has stalled because the government withheld budget allocation for the remaining construction after the Changwon land section, citing concerns that the Geoje-Masan National Route 5 could reduce toll revenue for the privately financed Geoga Bridge connecting Busan and Geoje.

The South Gyeongsang Provincial Council passed a resolution on November 27 unanimously approving the province's share of compensation payments to the Geoga Bridge operator to enable the project to proceed. The council determined that the economic and social benefits outweigh the additional compensation costs.

The 500 million won allocated by the government represents the minimum amount needed to complete detailed design for the Geoje land section and begin construction in the second half of next year.

The province expects the resumption of the Geoje-Masan National Route 5 project to boost the broader "South Coast Island Connection Maritime National Road" project linking Yeosu, Namhae-gun, Tongyeong, Geoje, and Changwon (Busan).

The government budget also includes 2.4 billion won for feasibility studies and strategic environmental impact assessments for the Gimhae-Miryang Expressway project. The government plans to invest 1.6 trillion won to open the Gimhae-Miryang Expressway, connecting Jillye-myeon in Gimhae to Sangnam-myeon in Miryang (19.8 km), by the mid-2030s.

This road will connect to the Jungang Expressway at Sangnam-myeon in Miryang and to the Namhae Expressway Branch Line 3 (Busan New Port Line) at Jillye-myeon in Gimhae, enabling direct access between Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, and Miryang to Busan New Port and Jinhae New Port.

The province explained that the Gimhae-Miryang Expressway could be connected to Seongsan-gu in Changwon by constructing a tunnel through Bieumsan Mountain between Jillye-myeon in Gimhae and Seongsan-gu in Changwon.

The province anticipates that the projects will strengthen competitiveness by enhancing connectivity between national strategic industries including Changwon's manufacturing sector and Geoje's shipbuilding industry, while reducing logistics costs.