The Seohaean Expressway ( Korean: 서해안 고속도로; Seohaean Gosok Doro), meaning "West Coast Expressway", is a

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, connecting Mokpo to Gunsan, Dangjin, and

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. It is numbered 15. The entire length from Seoul to Mokpo is 345 km and the posted speed limit is 110 km/h, enforced primarily by speed cameras. It is connected of Seohae Grand Bridge in Pyeongtaek to Dangjin. The branch expressways of the Seohaean Expressway are Seocheon–Gongju Expressway and

Pyeongtaek–Siheung Expressway The Pyeongtaek–Siheung Expressway ( Korean: 평택시흥고속도로; Pyeongtaek-Siheung Gosok Doro), Also 2nd Seohaean Expressway, is an expressway in South Korea, connecting Pyeongtaek to Hwaseong, Ansan, and Siheung Siheung ( ) is ...

. Typical facilities of this expressway is Seohae Bridge( Korean: 서해대교; Seohae Daegyo) which the total length of 7.3 km linking the Pyeongtaek(

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the ...

) and Dangjin( Chungnam Province). The bridge is the third long bridge in the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

. The highway is a major highway linking the Seohaean Region(서해안권) for the first north–south axis (남북 제1축), the road through the South Jeolla Province, North Jeolla Province,

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located in ...

History

* December 1991 – Construction begin * May 1993 – Construction begin of Seohae Grand Bridge * 6 July 1994 – Seoul– Ansan segment opened to traffic. * 17 December 1996 – Ansan– Pyeongtaek segment opened to traffic. * 25 August 1998 – Mokpo– Muan segment opened to traffic. * 30 October 1998 – Gunsan–

Seocheon Seocheon County () is a county in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is famous for its seafood and location near the mouth of the Geum River. Administrative divisions Seocheon county has two major centers, Janghang-eup and Seocheon-eup. Seoch ...

segment opened to traffic. * 10 November 2000 – Seohae Grand Bridge segment opened to traffic. and Pyeongtaek– Dangjin segment opened to traffic. * 27 September 2001 – Dangjin–Seocheon segment opened to traffic. * 21 December 2001 – The last segment, Gunsan–Muan segment opened to traffic. * 30 July 2010 – Work begins to widen to 8 lanes in Ansan–Iljik Junction. * 23 November 2011 – Jungnim Junction opened to traffic. * October 2014 – Seohae Bridge – W. Pyeongtaek Junction Section (10.3 km) road expansion started construction. * November 2014 – The 10-lane expansion of the Ansan JCT – Jonam JCT (2.9 km) section was completed. * June 2015 – The 10-lane expansion of the Jonam JCT – Mokgam IC (3.2 km) section was completed. * 23 December 2015 – The 10-lane expansion of the Mokgam IC – Iljik JCT (3.8 km) section was completed. * 3 July 2016 – Soha Junction opened to traffic.

Compositions

Lanes

* Mokpo IC – Dangjin JC, Iljik JC-West Seoul End: 4 * Dangjin JC – Bibong IC, Maesong IC-Ansan JC, Jonam JC–Mokgam IC: 6 * Mokgam IC – Iljik JC, Bibong IC – Maesong IC, West Seoul TG-Jonam JC: 8 * Ansan-Iljik, Yangjae-Giheung, unjung Bridge and Seoul Ring Road (Rigid Pavement) 130 km JC – : 10

Length

346.1 km (215.1 mi)

Speed limits

* Jungnim JC – Maesong IC : 110 km/h * Maesong IC – Seoul(Geumcheon) : 100 km/h * Mokpo – Jungnim JC : 90 km/h

List of facilities

*IC: Interchange, JC: Junction, SA: Service area, TG:Tollgate

Events

MBC's Entertainment program, Infinite Challenge held a in Haengdam Island Service area in June 2011.

External links

MOLIT
South Korean Government Transport Department {{coord missing, South Korea Expressways in South Korea Roads in South Jeolla Roads in North Jeolla Roads in South Chungcheong Roads in Gyeonggi Roads in Seoul