Toll Support for West Busan IC Section During Weekday Commuting Hours Begins June 2026
One Round Trip Per Day for All Vehicle Types Owned by Busan Citizens
Starting in June next year, commuters passing through the Garak Tollgate in West Busan during rush hours will see their toll expenses reduced.
The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced on September 5 that, beginning in June next year, it will provide toll support for vehicles traveling between the Garak Tollgate on the Namhae Expressway Second Branch Line and the West Busan Interchange (IC) during weekday commuting hours.
This toll support will be implemented from June next year, following the legislative notice of the “Busan Metropolitan City Ordinance on Toll Support for the Garak Tollgate on the Namhae Expressway Second Branch Line,” which is scheduled for September 10, 2025.
This section of the expressway connects East and West Busan and serves as a key transportation and logistics hub, linking industrial complexes such as Mieum, Hwajeon, Noksan, and Shinho, as well as Busan New Port.
Since the mid-1990s, the city, local residents, and civic groups have continuously requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to abolish the Garak Tollgate fees and transfer management. The city council also pursued the tollgate’s free passage nationwide by submitting related proposals through the National Council of Metropolitan and Provincial Council Chairpersons. However, these efforts were unsuccessful due to expressway policy constraints.
Toll support will be provided for all vehicle types owned by Busan citizens and registered in Busan. The support applies to vehicles passing through the designated section during weekday commuting hours: from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
If the city covers the remaining toll amount not already discounted by Korea Expressway Corporation’s rush hour toll reduction policy, Busan citizens will effectively pay no tolls between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
The toll support is limited to one round trip per vehicle per weekday during commuting hours, and applies to vehicles using Hi-Pass (automatic toll collection system) for payment.
The toll support process is as follows: first, users enter their Hi-Pass card information into the toll support system to be established in the future; then, the city approves their membership. Afterward, users download their expressway usage data from the Korea Expressway Corporation website on a monthly or quarterly basis and upload it to the toll support system. The city then reimburses the tolls to the users.
With the implementation of this toll support, an average of 4.44 million vehicles per year, or about 18,000 vehicles per day, are expected to benefit. It is also anticipated to help disperse traffic on National Route 2, a congested section, and improve road efficiency, thereby contributing to safer and more pleasant transportation conditions.
The Busan Metropolitan Government plans to complete consultations with related agencies in the second half of this year, enact the ordinance in December, finalize the 2026 main budget, and complete the toll support system by May next year. The project will be operated through a consignment to the Busan Facilities Corporation.
Mayor Park Hyungjoon stated, “With toll support being provided for the first time in 32 years for residents commuting via the Garak Tollgate, we expect to enhance the competitiveness of companies in nearby industrial complexes by reducing logistics costs, and to contribute to the increase in cargo volume at Busan New Port.”
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