New construction on a highway leading to North Korea’s busiest seaport suggests the country has begun modernizing its highway toll system, NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery shows.

The move may be a sign of increased traffic on the Pyongyang-Nampho “Youth Hero Highway,” North Korea economy expert and NK Pro contributor Peter Ward said, as pandemic-related border closures have funneled trade through the Nampho seaport.

Planet Labs satellite imagery shows that workers built a large structure over the highway and painted new lanes at the western edge of Pyongyang between Oct. 2021 and May 2022 in