Fixed link connects Busan, Geoje Island

After six years of construction, the 8.2-kilometer “Geoga Grand Bridge” opened Monday, cutting travel time between Busan and Geoje Island to 50 minutes from the current two hours and 10 minutes. The bridge in southeastern Korea connects the nation’s second-largest city of Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and Geoje Island, home to two of the country’s largest shipyards and many tourist attractions. The milestone construction project involves a 3.7km undersea tunnel, the first of its kind in the country. / Korea Times By Kim Rahn A large fixed link between Busan and Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, will open today, connecting the southern port city and the island that requires less than an hour travel time. The opening ceremony for the Geoga Grand Bridge was held Monday, with President Lee Myung-bak and other government officials participating in the ceremony. Citizens will be able to ues the bridge starting 6 a.m. today. “The route will become a main artery to reach southeastern coastal areas and a center for international trade. It will also be a tourism silk road in the region,” President Lee said in a speech during the ceremony. Linking Gadeok Island, a part of Busan, and Geoje Island, the nation’s second largest island following Jeju, the route will shorten the traveling distance between the two destinations to 60 kilometers from the previous 140 kilometers. Drivers will be able to drive between the two in 50 minutes, compared with about 130 minutes in the past. “The shortened distance and time will help the nation cut logistics costs by 400 billion won ($349 million) per year. It will also produce greater synergy between the shipbuilding industry in Geoje and the shipbuilding materials businesses in Busan,” a Busan Metropolitan City official said. The 3.7-kilometer section from Gadeok Island to Daejuk Island is an immersed tunnel, which is comprised of several pieces made on land and then submerged. It is Korea’s first immersed tunnel. The remaining 4.5-kilometer route is a combination of two cable-stayed bridges and tunnels on three islets in the middle. The fixed link broke several world records. It has the longest immersed tunnel pieces at 180 meters each; parts of the tunnel are located 48 meters underwater, the world’s deepest; and the tunnel is the first immersed one constructed on the open sea. Tolls are free until the end of the year, while 10,000 won will be charged to passenger cars beginning next year.