Daegu City Promotes Construction of 25.3km Privately Funded Expressway Through Palgongsan... Environmental Groups and Buddhist Community Likely to Oppose

New Airport Connecting Expressway

Targeted Road Opening by 2030

On the 28th, Daegu City announced plans to promote the construction of the ‘Palgongsan Tunnel Expressway,’ which will connect the integrated Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport with the southeastern region of Daegu, through a private investment method, aiming for its opening in 2030 to coincide with the new airport’s inauguration.

This road is expected to play a key role in the development of Gunwi County as a direct connection road network to Daegu following Gunwi’s incorporation, enhancing convenience for residents of southeastern Daegu (Dong-gu, Suseong-gu, etc.) and southeastern Gyeongbuk (Gyeongsan, Cheongdo, etc.) in using the new airport.

Route map of the Palgongsan Through Road.

Daegu City explained, “Currently, for citizens in southeastern Daegu to use the new airport, they must pass through frequently congested sections of the Gyeongbu Expressway and Jungang Expressway, causing significant inconvenience. This led to the conception of the Palgongsan Tunnel Expressway, which will connect the Dongdaegu Junction (JC) to the Donggunwi Junction (JC) over 25.3 km.”

City officials stated, “The Palgongsan Tunnel Expressway is expected to face strong opposition from civic groups concerned about environmental destruction and from the Buddhist community.”

Daegu City initially considered the road project as a government-funded initiative, but judged that it would be difficult to open the road in time for the airport’s inauguration due to the lengthy procedures required for inclusion in the national plan. Therefore, they decided to proceed with the project as a private investment business, which does not require national plan inclusion and allows easier financing, thereby shortening the project duration.

According to the recent preliminary feasibility study announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, air traffic demand is expected to be high, with 12.26 million passengers (9.06 million international passengers) and 218,000 tons of cargo, and it is anticipated to absorb traffic volumes moving between the Seoul metropolitan area and the Busan area. Furthermore, if it forms a core connection axis for Gunwi’s development, demand for this road is expected to increase explosively, indicating sufficient feasibility for a private investment project.

Regarding the road project, prior consultations with the Ministry of Environment were completed before the designation of the national park, and the plan includes mostly deep tunnels to minimize environmental damage.

Once opened, this road is expected to improve access to the new airport from southeastern Daegu, activate various tourist resources in Gunwi County, promote regional balanced development, reduce travel distance and time to the Seoul metropolitan area, and contribute to the revitalization of Palgongsan National Park through the installation of an interchange in the Gongsan area.

Going forward, Daegu City plans to complete the preliminary feasibility study by the end of the year, identify the optimal route and conduct economic analyses to select a private operator. The private operator is expected to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport next year and proceed swiftly with related procedures to complete the road by 2030.

Mayor Hong Jun-pyo stated, “As all procedures related to the new airport construction project, which will be the foundation for Daegu’s prosperity over the next 50 years, are progressing as planned, we will ensure that this expressway to improve access to the new airport is completed without delay before the airport’s opening in 2030.”