The Gyeongbu Expressway ( ko, 경부고속도로; ''Gyeongbu Gosokdoro'') ( Asian Highway Network ) is the second oldest and most heavily travelled expressway in

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

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 ...

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a popul ...

, Daejeon, Gumi,

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...

Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

and

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

. It has the route number 1, signifying its role as South Korea's most important expressway. The entire length from Seoul to Busan is and the posted speed limit is , enforced primarily by speed cameras.

History

* February 1968 - Construction begins at the behest of South Korean President Park Chung-hee, who named

Park Myung-keun Park Myung-keun (; September 7, 1928 – December 9, 2004) was a former South Korean Army captain, prosecutor, and a member of the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 14th South Korean National Assembly. He represented the Democratic Republican Party for his f ...

in charge of construction. * 21 December 1968 - Seoul-Suwon segment opens to traffic. * 30 December 1968 - Suwon- Osan segment opens to traffic. * 29 September 1969 - Osan-

Cheonan Cheonan (; 천안시, ''Cheonan-si''), also spelled Ch'ŏnan, is a city in South Chungcheong, South Korea. Cheonan has a population of 666,417 (2018), making it the most-populous city or county in South Chungcheong, and the third most-populous c ...

segment opens to traffic. * 10 December 1969 - Cheonan-Daejeon segment opens to traffic. * 19 December 1969 - Busan-Daegu (via Gyeongju) segment opens to traffic. * 7 July 1970 - The last segment, the mountainous Daejeon-Daegu segment, opens to traffic, completing South Korea's first long-distance limited access expressway. * December 1987 - Work begins to widen to six lanes in selected areas. Some areas are widened to 8 or 10 lanes by 1996. * February 1995 - Bus-only lane (essentially an HOV-9) established between the northern terminus and Sintanjin for important holidays. * 14 July 2000 - Eight vehicles, including three buses and a five-ton truck, collide near Gimcheon, killing 18 and injuring over 100. * 25 August 2001 - All expressways in South Korea reorganize under a pattern modeled after the United States'

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

. The Gyeongbu Expressway's route number of 1 is the only one not to change; however, its kilometer markers change from a north–south progression to south–north. * December 2002 - Korea National Expressway Corporation passes control of the northernmost 9 km stretch of expressway (between Yangjae and Hannam Bridge) to the City of Seoul. * 1 July 2008 - Bus lane enforcement between Seoul and Osan ( Sintanjin on weekends) becomes daily between 6 AM and 10 PM. On 1 October this is adjusted to 7 AM to 9 PM weekdays, 9 AM to 9 PM weekends.

Compositions

Speed limit

* Cheonan JC ~ Yangjae IC : 110 km/h * Guseo IC ~ Cheonan JC : 100 km/h

List of facilities

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

Gyeongbu Urban Expressway

In the past, this section was a part of Gyeongbu Expressway, but in 2002 the

Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Governmen ...

has takes control of this segment from

Korea Expressway Corporation Korea Expressway Corporation (Hangul: 한국도로공사) is a South Korean corporation running the toll roads of South Korea. Timeline * 1968 – Started construction of Gyeongbu Expressway * 1969 – KEC founded (capital stock of 50billion w ...

. As a results, this expressway became a part of Seoul Special Metropolitan Route 06. However, the name remains the same, on

Traffic Broadcasting System Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) ( ko, 교통방송, ) is a South Korean television and radio network about traffic in Seoul Capital Area. This TV Station is run by Seoul Metropolitan Government and televises general news, information, do ...

, it is still called Gyeongbu Expressway or the name "Sigugan", and this section is also designated as

Asian Highway 1 Asian Highway 1 (AH1) is the longest route of the Asian Highway Network, running from Tokyo, Japan via Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to the border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul ...

Main stopovers

** Seocho District - Gangnam District

Speed limit

* Maximum 80 km/h * Minimum: 50 km/h

References

External links

MOLIT

South Korean Government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is th ...

Transport Department {{Authority control Expressways in South Korea Roads in Busan Roads in South Gyeongsang Roads in Ulsan Roads in North Gyeongsang Roads in Daegu Roads in North Chungcheong Roads in Daejeon Roads in South Chungcheong Roads in Gyeonggi Roads in Seoul

History

Compositions

Speed limit

List of facilities

Gyeongbu Urban Expressway

Main stopovers

Speed limit

See also

References

External links