Extended bus lane on Dongjak-daero opens Friday

Seoul City said Tuesday that an extended bus-only lane on Dongjak-daero will open at 4 a.m. Friday.

The 2.8-kilometer extended segment of the bus-only lane from Bangbae Police Station to the hill of Namtaeyreong is expected to raise the average speed of buses heading toward the city center from the current 17.8 kilometers per hour to 24.1 kph, the city government said.

The chronic traffic congestion around Sadang Station and increased traffic entering and exiting the Gangnam Expressway through Sadang Interchange had exacerbated traffic conditions in the area.

The extension, which comes with four bus stops, will make the bus-only lane, dubbed Bus Rapid Transit, 5.5 kilometers long on Dongjak-daero.

An additional pedestrian crosswalk will be situated at the intersection around Isu Station to allow pedestrians to cross roads on all four sides of the intersection.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)