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Plan expected to cut travel time between Seoul and Sejong
By Lee Kyung-min
The government said Thursday that it will build a new expressway linking Seoul and the administrative city Sejong by 2025 in a bid to reduce traffic congestion.
Since 2012, 36 government agencies in Seoul with more than 10,500 officials have moved to Sejong in North Chungcheong Province, 120 kilometers south of Seoul, in an effort to spur the regional economy there as well as reduce the capital's concentration of traffic.
If completed, travel time from Seoul to Sejong will be reduced by 38 minutes to 70 minutes, making it easier for people to commute as well as contribute to the regional economy in satellite cities located in rural areas.
According to the meeting held by economy and finance related ministries, building the 129-kilometer highway with six lanes will cost 6.7 trillion won ($5.74 billion). The government will spend 1.4 trillion won and raise the remaining 5.3 trillion from private companies.
Of the 129-kilomerters, the construction of a 71-kilometer road linking Seoul to Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, will start as early as next year, and is expected to be completed by 2020.
It will be jointly conducted by Korea Expressway Corp. and a private company that wins the bidding on the contract.
The construction of the remaining 58-kilometer part will begin in 2020 and be completed by 2025.
The government will hold an open bidding to select the construction firm for the second stage.
The expressway will start from Guri, east of Seoul, and run through Gangdong, south east of Seoul;, Hanam, Gyeonggi Province; Seongnam; Gwangju; Yongin; Anseong; Cheonan; and Janggun county in Sejong.
High-tech equipment will be set up along the road for various services for drivers as well as a smart toll system.
The government will also build a bridge across the Han River from Guri through Gangdong. Currently, there are 30 bridges crossing the river that runs through the center of the capital.
The plan is being resumed six years after it was first launched in 2009 in order to resolve traffic congestion on the Gyeongbu Expressway, the country's mainstay highway, and Jungbu Expressway.
It was delayed for years due to high costs amid a protracted economic slump here.
"The new Seoul-Sejong highway construction is aimed at relieving traffic congestion," said an official of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation.
"When it is completed, we expect that traffic jams on the Gyeongbu and Jungbu expressways will decrease by 60 percent," the ministry official added.
In a related move, the government is considering expanding the current Jungbu Expressway in response to a request by residents in Chungcheong Province.
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