The 6.9 km-long Boryeong tunnel, the longest undersea tunnel in Korea, will open on Dec. 1 after 11 years of construction.
The tunnel connects Daecheon port with Wonsan Island in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. Currently, it takes about an hour and 30 minutes by car, but the tunnel and bridge cut the time to just 10 minutes.
Some W485.3 billion was spent on the epic project and there will be no toll (US$1=W1,192).
Construction began in December 2010 from both ends, marking the first time in Korea that bedrock was broken with explosives. But no serious accident occurred as the tunnel crept forward at a rate of about 1-3 m a day. The deepest point is 80 m below sea level, and there are two lanes in each direction.
The tunnel is the fifth longest undersea tunnel in the world after the Tokyo Bay Aqualine Tunnel in Japan (9.5 km) and three tunnels in Norway -- Bømlafjord Tunnel (7.9 km), Eiksund Tunnel (7.8 km) and Oslofjord Tunnel (7.2 km). The previous longest tunnel in Korea was Incheon North Port Tunnel (5.46 km).
South Chungcheong Province expects that more tourists will be attracted to the area as the new fast route connects the famous summer destination of Daecheon Beach to Anmyeon Island.
