The Jayu Motorway (also called Jayu-ro, Korean: 자유로, lit. Freedom Road) is a major north–south arterial highway in South Korea. Its southern terminus is in Seoul, while its northern terminus is at National Route 1's Reunification Bridge leading into the DMZ. North Korea is visible from a section of the highway stretching from Seongdong-ri to Ogeum-ri. Its shape closely parallels the northern bank of the Han River and is heavily fortified with barbed wire and military observatories. It is part of National Route 77.

77
nr 77
Jayu-ro
Jayu Motorway
자유로
Route information
Length49.967 km (31.048 mi)
Existed1992–present
Major junctions
South end Gayang Bridge, Mapo, Seoul
Major intersections Seoul Ring Expressway
Incheon Airport Expressway
Suwon-Munsan Expressway
National Route 39
National Route 37
North end Jayu Interchange, Paju, Gyeonggi
Location
CountrySouth Korea
Highway system
Jayuro northbound as viewed from Odusan Observatory. North Korea is visible in the center upper-left portion
Gusan IC, 2008
Bound for Gaeseong, 2008

This route connects Seoul (Gayang Bridge), Goyang (Ilsan) to Paju (Munsan, Panmunjeom), with a total length of 49.976 km (31.054 mi).

The highway is directly connected with the Gangbyeonbuk-ro at Gayang Bridge.

History

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  • May 19, 1990 - Construction Begin
  • August, 1992 - Haengju Bridge~Tongil observatory section(29 km) opens to traffic.
  • September, 1994 - Tongil observatory~Jayu Bridge(자유의다리) section(17.5 km) opens to traffic.

Compositions

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Lanes

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  • Dangdong IC ~ Jayu IC: 4
  • Nakha IC - Dangdong IC: 6
  • Nakha IC - Isanpo JC: 8
  • Gayang Bridge - Isanpo JC: 10

Length

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49.976 km (31.054 mi)

Speed limits

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  • 90 km/h

List of facilities

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  • IC: Interchange, JC: Junction, SA: Service Area, TG:Tollgate
No. Name Korean Name Hanja Name Connections Notes Location
Connected directly with   Gangbyeonbuk-ro(강변북로)
6 Gayang Br. IC 가양대교북단 加陽大橋 Gayang-daero (가양대로)
Hwagok-ro(화곡로)
Highway Start Spot Mapo Seoul
5 S. Goyang IC 남고양나들목 南高陽나들목   Suwon-Munsan Expressway
(Branch Line)
Goyang Gyeonggi
1 Bungno JC
(Banghwa Bridge)
북로분기점 北路分岐點   Suwon-Munsan Expressway
  Incheon Airport Expressway
IC Haengju IC 행주나들목 幸州나들목 Haengju-ro (행주로) Seoul-bound Only
JC Haengju JC
(Haengju Bridge)
행주분기점 幸州分岐點   National Route 39
KTX Haengsin Station
JC Jayuro JC
(Gimpo Bridge)
자유로분기점 自由路分岐點   Seoul Ring Expressway
IC Janghang IC 장항나들목 獐項나들목 Baengma-ro (백마로)
Ilsan Lake Park
IC KINTEX IC 킨텍스나들목 KINTEX나들목 KINTEX-ro (킨텍스로)
KINTEX
JC Isanpo JC
(Ilsan Bridge)
이산포분기점 二山浦分岐點 Provincial Route 98
Goyang Stadium
Daehwa Station
IC Gusan IC 구산나들목 九山나들목 Provincial Route 356
IC Jangwol IC 장월나들목 長月나들목 Provincial Route 358
Paju Book City
IC Munbal IC 문발나들목 文發나들목 Provincial Route 56 Paju
IC Seongdong IC 성동나들목 城洞나들목 Provincial Route 360
IC Nakha IC 낙하나들목 洛下나들목 Provincial Route 366
IC Naepo IC 내포나들목 內浦나들목   Suwon-Munsan Expressway
IC Dangdong IC 당동나들목 堂洞나들목   National Route 37
IC Imjingak IC 임진각나들목 任津閣나들목 Imjingak
Imjingak Station
IC Jayu IC 자유나들목 自由나들목   National Route 1
(Tongil-ro / 통일로)
Panmunjeom
Kaesong Industrial Region
Reunification Highway

Jayuro Ghost

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The highway is also notable for its variant of the vanishing hitchhiker called the Jayuro Ghost. The area frequently experiences foggy weather and thus has a high rate of automobile collisions. According to the narrative, a woman can sometimes be seen along the side of the road wearing sunglasses. Upon closer inspection it is revealed that the so-called sunglasses are actually the woman's gouged-out eyes. Another version of the narrative has a driver picking up the ghost, only for the ghost to direct the driver to a cemetery or disappear when the driver reaches the destination. The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast released a video episode about this urban legend and other road-related Korean folklore.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ghost Stories on Jayuro Highway | the Dark Side of Seoul Podcast - YouTube". YouTube. 29 July 2020.