The Third Cable-Stayed Bridge, the third bridge linking Yeongjong Island, home to Incheon International Airport, and inland Incheon, will open on the 5th.
According to the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority on the 4th, the Third Cable-Stayed Bridge connecting Incheon Cheongna and Yeongjong is scheduled to open at 2 p.m. on the 5th. The toll is 2,000 won one way for compact cars, and it will be collected automatically using an unmanned "smart tolling" system.
Residents of Yeongjong and Cheongna International City and Bukdo-myeon in Ongjin County are exempt from the toll. Starting in April, the free toll policy is expected to expand to all Incheon residents.
The Third Cable-Stayed Bridge is a bridge built by the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority since December 2021 with a total investment of 767.7 billion won. It spans 4.68 kilometers in length and 30 meters in width, with six lanes in both directions. Bicycle lanes and sidewalks 3.5 to 4 meters wide were also created. The city expects that the opening of the Third Cable-Stayed Bridge will greatly improve accessibility between Incheon Airport and the western Seoul metropolitan area.
The main pylon observatory rises to 184.2 meters above sea level, the highest among observatories on sea bridges in the world, and has been listed in the Guinness World Records. The observatory is expected to open in April after additional work.
However, due to disputes between regions over the bridge's name, the Third Cable-Stayed Bridge will open without an official name. Earlier, the city of Incheon set the name as "Cheongna Haneul Bridge" after review by the toponymy committee, but Jung District, which has jurisdiction over Yeongjong Island, has requested a reconsideration by the National Geographical Names Committee under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Conflicts also continue over the burden of compensation for losses arising after the opening of the Third Cable-Stayed Bridge. Under an agreement signed with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in December 2020, the city of Incheon must bear compensation for losses corresponding to the decrease in toll revenue from the Yeongjong Bridge and the Incheon Bridge.