Toll Fees on Changwon-Busan Road to Increase for the First Time in 5 Years

April 1 Price Increase: 100 Won for Small and Medium, 200 Won for Large

Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 21st that it will raise the toll fees on Local Road No. 1030 between Changwon and Busan, which had been frozen for five years, starting April 1.

According to Gyeongnam Province, from 0:00 on that day, vehicles entering the toll gates at Changwon Toll Plaza and Noksan Toll Plaza on the Changwon-Busan road will have to pay an additional 100 KRW for small and medium-sized cars, and 200 KRW for large vehicles.

The increased toll fees are ▲1,100 KRW for small cars ▲1,600 KRW for medium cars ▲2,100 KRW for large cars ▲550 KRW for compact cars.

According to the implementation agreement, toll fees are determined annually on April 1 by reflecting the previous year's Consumer Price Index changes, through consultation between the project operator, Gyeongnam Highway, and the competent authority, Gyeongsangnam-do.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

According to the province, this toll increase is the first raise in five years since the reduction in 2018, and the second increase since the road opened in 2013.

Gyeongnam Province had previously lowered the toll fee from 1,100 KRW to 1,000 KRW for small cars in 2018 through shared profits from refinancing, and in 2022, it suppressed toll increases by reducing the base toll fee again through a second refinancing shared profit.

Due to a recent sharp inflation rate of around 5%, the timing for the toll increase was brought forward, leading to consideration of a toll hike this year.

In line with the government's policy to freeze public utility fees, multiple consultations were held with the project operator to delay the toll increase, but the operator stated that due to accumulated deficits caused by lower-than-agreed traffic volumes, maintaining the toll freeze was difficult.

A provincial official said, "If the inflation-related increase factors are not reflected in the toll fees, the difference must be supported annually by the government budget to the project operator. After careful consideration, including the fact that the increased toll fees reflecting the Consumer Price Index change are 1.16 times higher than the tolls on government-financed expressways, which is lower than the national average of 1.45 times for private toll roads, the toll increase according to the implementation agreement was unavoidable."

Gyeongsangnam-do plans to minimize confusion among road users before the toll adjustment by displaying the toll increase information on electronic signboards along the Changwon-Busan road section, posting banners, and promoting the information through online and offline media such as websites.

Kim Young-sam, Director of the Transportation and Construction Bureau, said, "We ask for the understanding of road users regarding the unavoidable toll increase this year," and added, "We will devote all efforts to creating a safer and more comfortable road environment to enhance the convenience of road users."