Smart highways planned for South Korea

A new transport plan is envisaged for South Korea that involves the construction of a smart highway network. The aim of the programme is to optimise transport efficiency and capacity, with charging facilities for electric vehicles also included in the plans. South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport intends to add a further 1,000km of highways to the country’s overall network. Once the new highways are open to traffic South Korea will have a total highway network in excess of 5,100km.
September 2, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

A new transport plan is envisaged for South Korea that involves the construction of a smart highway network. The aim of the programme is to optimise transport efficiency and capacity, with charging facilities for electric vehicles also included in the plans. South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport intends to add a further 1,000km of highways to the country’s overall network. Once the new highways are open to traffic South Korea will have a total highway network in excess of 5,100km. The aim of this programme is to boost access to highways for the country’s citizens so that 96% of the population will be within a 30 minute drive (or less) of a highway. The new links should be complete by 2020 and the plan will also help tackle congestion on sections of highway currently prone to traffic delays.

The new smart highways will feature modern drive through tolling technology as well as having the capabilities required to handle driverless vehicles. The new highways will also have sufficient charging facilities to allow electric vehicles to make long distance journeys across the country. The South Korean Government is setting a budget of US$33 billion for the plans, with private financing of almost a similar scale envisaged to complete the funding necessary for such a large scale programme.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Building Egypt's world class Desert Highway
    February 9, 2012
    A huge highway upgrade project will transform the Cairo-Alexandria road link into a world-class connection as Mike Woof reports
    Read More
  • Building Egypt's world class Desert Highway
    May 3, 2012
    A huge highway upgrade project will transform the Cairo-Alexandria road link into a world-class connection as Mike Woof reports. The work to upgrade the Desert Highway connecting Egypt's sprawling capital Cairo with its major port Alexandria, is one of the country's largest infrastructure projects for many years. This 220km highway link is being widened and improved to cope with the hugely increased traffic volumes resulting partly from Egypt's fast growing vehicle population. The Egyptian economy is strong
    Read More
  • Building Egypt's world class Desert Highway
    April 13, 2012
    A huge highway upgrade project will transform the Cairo-Alexandria road link into a world-class connection as Mike Woof reports. The work to upgrade the Desert Highway connecting Egypt's sprawling capital Cairo with its major port Alexandria, is one of the country's largest infrastructure projects for many years. This 220km highway link is being widened and improved to cope with the hugely increased traffic volumes resulting partly from Egypt's fast growing vehicle population. The Egyptian economy is strong
    Read More
  • New East Africa highway connecting Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan
    June 8, 2016
    East African countries continue to implement a road Master Plan developed jointly under the East African Community initiative and which aims at integrating the region’s transport corridors to meet the growing demand for road transport by the increasing intra-regional trade and vehicular traffic. Kenya has for example unveiled a US$280 million road rehabilitation project to improve its links with Tanzania and South Sudan with the backing of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Rehabilitation of the 172
    Read More

Highlighted Content