Land ministry's Seoul office plans to build third beltway this year
By Yi Whan-woo
The Seoul Regional Construction & Management Administration (SRCMA) will use an online map service developed by the government to improve efficiency and transparency in land management, its chief said.
The SRCMA, a Seoul administrative body of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, oversees road construction, waterway maintenance and safety management of public buildings in Seoul and the surrounding provinces.
It is the first among the ministry's five regional offices to monitor its project processes through three-dimensional images provided by Open Platform (map.vworld.kr), said SRCMA President Suh Myong-kyo in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Jeong-dong.
Open Platform is a platform developed by the land ministry that offers an online map service providing three-dimensional images.
"Open Platform can cut the cost for monitoring a project because it enables us to check the processes in real time regardless of where we are," Suh said. "We anticipate that the map service will create various business opportunities in around the country."
According to the 54-year-old president, Open Platform is better than Google Maps in terms of visibility because the images are taken by airplanes, not satellites.
The government's map service went public last year. The SRCMA has used the images offered by the map service to resolve a legal issue in the construction of the highway between Jeongok and Yeongjung in Gyeonggi Province.
Real estate owners in the construction area demanded financial compensation for conceding their lands to the 13.9-kilometer, four-lane highway to be completed by 2018. The SRCMA determined the amount of compensation by looking at the size of the owners' lands through Open Platform.
"The map service is an excellent tool for ensuring transparency in our decision-making processes," Suh said.
He also said that Seoul has decided to build its third beltway as a part of its efforts to reduce traffic jam in and around the nation's capital.
"The new beltway will allow drivers to save up to 30 minutes when they travel from Uijeongbu to Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province or vice versa."
According to Suh, the amount of traffic in and around Seoul is up to five times larger than the country's average daily traffic of 12,800 cars per road.
"This is why we pushed to set up a new outer beltway in addition to the two current ring roads," he said.
One of the two existing ring roads is an inner beltway that connects Sungsan Bridge in Mapo-gu and Dongbu Expressway in Seongsu-dong. The other is an outer ring road that circles around Seoul, Incheon and major cities in Gyeonggi Province ― Seongnam, Pangyo, Hanam, Guri, Uijeonbu, Yangju, Goyang, Gimpo, Bucheon, Anyang and Uiwang.
The ministry will provide a total of 172.5 billion won to the SRCMA for the construction of the 26.9-kilometer outer beltway that will be comprised of up to eight lanes, according to Suh.
"Some 60 percent of the government's funding will be spent in the first half to reinvigorate the sluggish economy and boost domestic consumption," he said.
As part of efforts to reduce traffic jams in Seoul and surrounding areas, the SRCMA president said in June, the organization will open two of the six lanes of a highway that is under construction to connect Seongnam and Janghowan.
He also said that the SRCMA will begin construction of two other highways that will connect Seoul to Gwangyung and Munsan. The construction of the two highways will be funded by private investors, he added.
Meanwhile, the unpredictable weather in the summer makes river management another priority in order to prevent flooding at the Han River, which flows across Seoul, according to Suh.
"We will begin the refurbishment project around Limjin River and Moonsan Stream, which meet the Han River," he said. "We'll make sure every water course in our project flows smoothly, and to do so, we'll build banks on the sections depending on the condition."
Suh said that his administration is working to meet the government's creativity-based economic paradigm. To this end, he is considering hiring retired experts in the construction industry to create more jobs and boost the economy.
"Adopting new ideas for existing policies and measures is crucial for what I call ‘creative destruction,' and I think such an approach will lead to an economy based on innovation and creation," he said.
"The retired engineers and architects will consult with us for free regarding construction projects in Seoul metropolitan areas.
"I'm sure that those experts will be proud of sharing their know-how to workers at the construction sites at no cost."
The SRCMA will move its office to Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province by May. Suh said the organization will cooperate with regional authorities to provide better services to the public.
By Yi Whan-woo
 |
| Suh Myong-kyo, president of the Seoul Regional Construction & Management Administration |
The SRCMA, a Seoul administrative body of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, oversees road construction, waterway maintenance and safety management of public buildings in Seoul and the surrounding provinces.
It is the first among the ministry's five regional offices to monitor its project processes through three-dimensional images provided by Open Platform (map.vworld.kr), said SRCMA President Suh Myong-kyo in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Jeong-dong.
Open Platform is a platform developed by the land ministry that offers an online map service providing three-dimensional images.
"Open Platform can cut the cost for monitoring a project because it enables us to check the processes in real time regardless of where we are," Suh said. "We anticipate that the map service will create various business opportunities in around the country."
According to the 54-year-old president, Open Platform is better than Google Maps in terms of visibility because the images are taken by airplanes, not satellites.
The government's map service went public last year. The SRCMA has used the images offered by the map service to resolve a legal issue in the construction of the highway between Jeongok and Yeongjung in Gyeonggi Province.
Real estate owners in the construction area demanded financial compensation for conceding their lands to the 13.9-kilometer, four-lane highway to be completed by 2018. The SRCMA determined the amount of compensation by looking at the size of the owners' lands through Open Platform.
"The map service is an excellent tool for ensuring transparency in our decision-making processes," Suh said.
He also said that Seoul has decided to build its third beltway as a part of its efforts to reduce traffic jam in and around the nation's capital.
"The new beltway will allow drivers to save up to 30 minutes when they travel from Uijeongbu to Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province or vice versa."
According to Suh, the amount of traffic in and around Seoul is up to five times larger than the country's average daily traffic of 12,800 cars per road.
"This is why we pushed to set up a new outer beltway in addition to the two current ring roads," he said.
One of the two existing ring roads is an inner beltway that connects Sungsan Bridge in Mapo-gu and Dongbu Expressway in Seongsu-dong. The other is an outer ring road that circles around Seoul, Incheon and major cities in Gyeonggi Province ― Seongnam, Pangyo, Hanam, Guri, Uijeonbu, Yangju, Goyang, Gimpo, Bucheon, Anyang and Uiwang.
The ministry will provide a total of 172.5 billion won to the SRCMA for the construction of the 26.9-kilometer outer beltway that will be comprised of up to eight lanes, according to Suh.
"Some 60 percent of the government's funding will be spent in the first half to reinvigorate the sluggish economy and boost domestic consumption," he said.
As part of efforts to reduce traffic jams in Seoul and surrounding areas, the SRCMA president said in June, the organization will open two of the six lanes of a highway that is under construction to connect Seongnam and Janghowan.
He also said that the SRCMA will begin construction of two other highways that will connect Seoul to Gwangyung and Munsan. The construction of the two highways will be funded by private investors, he added.
Meanwhile, the unpredictable weather in the summer makes river management another priority in order to prevent flooding at the Han River, which flows across Seoul, according to Suh.
"We will begin the refurbishment project around Limjin River and Moonsan Stream, which meet the Han River," he said. "We'll make sure every water course in our project flows smoothly, and to do so, we'll build banks on the sections depending on the condition."
Suh said that his administration is working to meet the government's creativity-based economic paradigm. To this end, he is considering hiring retired experts in the construction industry to create more jobs and boost the economy.
"Adopting new ideas for existing policies and measures is crucial for what I call ‘creative destruction,' and I think such an approach will lead to an economy based on innovation and creation," he said.
"The retired engineers and architects will consult with us for free regarding construction projects in Seoul metropolitan areas.
"I'm sure that those experts will be proud of sharing their know-how to workers at the construction sites at no cost."
The SRCMA will move its office to Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province by May. Suh said the organization will cooperate with regional authorities to provide better services to the public.
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