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

  • China’s new smart highway being planned
    January 31, 2018
    China has plans to build a smart highway in Zhejiang Province. The route will include warning technology and monitoring systems and will be complete in 2022. By utilising this technology the builders aim to boost the speed of traffic by 20-30%, without compromising safety. The 161km stretch of highway will feature three lanes in either direction and will also feature mobile charging systems for EVs. Once the route opens to traffic it is expected to halve journey times from Ningbo to Hangzhou from the
    Read More
  • East End Crossing Project—Availability payment P3 in action
    July 14, 2017
    Indiana exercised its authority to use a P3 contract when it partnered with Kentucky for new bridges across the Ohio River. Barney Allison and John Smolen* explain the groundbreaking availability payment deal. Earlier this year, traffic began rolling over the new tolled Lewis and Clark Bridge spanning the Ohio River from northern Kentucky to southern Indiana. The cable-stayed bridge is part of the award-winning Ohio Bridges Project to untangle traffic within the greater metropolitan area of Louisville, Kent
    Read More
  • Albanian road investment
    May 15, 2012
    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing major funding in Albania’s road network. A loan worth €53 million will help pay for the construction of the new Fier and Vlore bypasses. This loan will aid further development of the Albanian road network and boosting economic integration in the country by co-financing the construction of the two bypass roads, located in south-western Albania. The EBRD loan is structured in two tranches and will be used by the Albanian Road Authority t
    Read More
  • IRF World Congress: Road user charging
    October 16, 2024
    Where will the money come from to develop and maintain tomorrow’s sustainable road network, no mater in what nation? This was the focus of another session at the IRF World Congress in Istanbul of day of the three-day event.
    Read More

Highlighted Content