Paju to Push for Free Tolls on Ilsan Bridge During Commute Hours Starting Next July

Paju, Gyeonggi Province, is pushing to make the Ilsan Bridge toll-free during rush hours starting next July for vehicles registered in the city.

To achieve this, the city of Paju is holding working-level consultations with Gyeonggi Province, Goyang, and Gimpo on plans to support Ilsan Bridge tolls.

The city aims to sign a business agreement in the second half of this year.

The plan currently under discussion is to fully subsidize tolls for vehicles registered in Paju, Goyang, and Gimpo that use Ilsan Bridge from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

As Gyeonggi Province currently subsidizes 50 percent of the tolls, the respective cities will share and cover the remaining 50 percent.

A settlement system to distinguish vehicles registered by city will be established with Gyeonggi Province taking the lead.

The subsidy amount for each city will be determined based on actual traffic volume.

According to a review by Gyeonggi Province based on the origin and destination distribution of Ilsan Bridge users, Paju accounts for about 15 percent of the total traffic volume.

Accordingly, Paju is expected to shoulder about 7.5 percent of the remaining tolls, excluding the 50 percent supported by Gyeonggi Province.

Paju also plans to pursue parallel efforts to make Ilsan Bridge completely free of charge.

Gyeonggi Province and the cities of Paju, Goyang, and Gimpo are continuously requesting government funding to make Ilsan Bridge toll-free.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has also allocated 500 million won this year for a research service fee to support free tolls on Ilsan Bridge and is currently preparing to carry out the study.

Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan said, "By easing the burden of tolls during commute hours, we will help residents practically reduce their living expenses and contribute to creating more convenient metropolitan transportation conditions."

Ilsan Bridge is the only toll road among the bridges built across the Han River.

Gyeonggi Province has invested 20 billion won since January 1 to subsidize 50 percent of the Ilsan Bridge tolls.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.