The First Mandeok Tunnel, a major arterial route through downtown Busan, will be fully closed to traffic during nighttime hours for aging infrastructure repairs. The work is scheduled during late-night hours to avoid rush-hour congestion.
The Busan Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it will impose traffic controls on both the inbound and outbound lanes of the First Mandeok Tunnel, which connects Oncheon-dong and Mandeok-dong, for three nights from June 10 to 12. The closure will run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night, a six-hour window.
The measure is prompted by safety reinforcement work on electrical conduits inside the tunnel. The city said it is carrying out the project to preemptively eliminate the risk of vehicle accidents caused by deteriorating conduit fixtures and to secure road safety. YS Engineering is the contractor for the project.
With both directions of the First Mandeok Tunnel fully restricted during the closure period, drivers will need to use alternative routes including the Second Mandeok Tunnel. The city adjusted the work schedule to late-night hours to minimize traffic disruption, but acknowledged that some congestion on surrounding roads is unavoidable.
"We will ensure safe and swift construction to shorten the closure period as much as possible," said Jin Bong-sang, head of the Busan Construction Safety Testing Agency.