Songpa-gu Olympic Family Town 1~2 Complex Jungdae-ro 8-gil Road Diet

Reducing Unnecessary Lanes and Securing Pedestrian Space

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced on the 17th that it will reduce unnecessary lanes on Jungdae-ro 8-gil and secure pedestrian space.

Jungdae-ro 8-gil is a road located between Olympic Family Town Complex 1 and Complex 2 in Munjeong-dong. Currently a four-lane road, it was established ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

However, in recent years, due to changes in the surrounding area such as the development of Munjeong District, the number of passing vehicles has rapidly increased, worsening the living conditions of local residents. The residents' representatives of Olympic Family Town have requested for years that Munjeong District prohibit straight traffic into the Olympic Family Town complex.

Accordingly, traffic calming measures such as road dieting and partial one-way traffic will be applied to Jungdae-ro 8-gil.

First, Jungdae-ro 8-gil will be divided into two sections. From Garak Market South Gate 1 to the intersection at Olympic Family Town Building 218 entrance/exit, one lane will be reduced from the existing four lanes. The three lanes will consist of two lanes for two-way traffic and one turning lane. The space gained from the reduced lane will be used to expand sidewalks, improving pedestrian conditions.

From the intersection at Olympic Family Town Building 218 entrance/exit to Hosuni Shopping Center, a 150m stretch, two lanes will be reduced from the four lanes. This section will operate as one-way traffic heading south. Accordingly, straight traffic from Hosuni Shopping Center to Olympic Family Town Building 218 and left turns from Dongnam-ro toward Olympic Family Town will be prohibited.

Songpa-gu conducted a public opinion gathering process to reflect local residents' views. Among the total 4,494 households in Olympic Family Town, 3,385 households expressed support on October 18, 2019.

The partial one-way traffic plan, reflecting residents' support, passed the Traffic Safety Facilities Review Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on October 28, 2019.

Accordingly, Songpa-gu began road dieting construction on Jungdae-ro 8-gil on April 16. The construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of June to coincide with the opening of Dongnam-ro. Prior to the start of construction, Songpa-gu has been informing local residents in advance by hanging banners on the road. Traffic controllers will be deployed from the start to the completion of construction to minimize traffic inconvenience caused by the construction.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “Although some inconvenience is expected for certain residents (shops), once the construction is completed, a pedestrian environment that satisfies everyone will be created,” and added, “We will continue to do our best to make Songpa a walkable city where local residents can always walk safely.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.