73km East-West Route Connecting Paju~Yeoncheon~Pocheon~Gapyeong Opens After 21 Years

[Asia Economy (Uijeongbu) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The long-awaited project for residents of northern Gyeonggi Province, the entire 73 km section of National Route 37 connecting Paju, Yeoncheon, Pocheon, and Gapyeong from east to west, will open on the 30th after 20 years since construction began.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 29th that the construction of the last unopened section, a 3.5 km stretch from Baegui-ri to Jangtan-ri in Cheongsan-myeon, Yeoncheon-gun, has been completed and will open on this day.

The Paju-Gapyeong section of National Route 37, which began construction in 1999, is a key road connecting the northern Gyeonggi region from Paju Munsan IC on Jayuro, following the Imjin River through Paju Jeokseong, Yeoncheon Jeongok, Pocheon Yeongjung, Pocheon Ildong, and reaching Gapyeong Cheongpyeong.

While northern Gyeonggi has a north-south road network including the Guri-Pocheon Expressway, National Route 1, National Route 3, and National Route 43, there has been a lack of roads connecting east and west regions, leading to strong calls for early expansion of related infrastructure.

The province expects that with the opening of the entire National Route 37, travel time from Paju Munsan to Gapyeong can be reduced by more than one hour.

In particular, it is expected to create a business-friendly environment by reducing logistics costs for major industrial complexes in northern Gyeonggi such as Jangnam, Jeokseong, Jangja, and Baekhak General Industrial Complexes, providing a great opportunity for regional economic revitalization and balanced development.

A provincial official said, "This is the result of the Seoul Regional Land Management Office actively engaging in the construction project to improve the quality of life for residents," adding, "The Seoul-Munsan Expressway, currently under construction, will open in November this year, and the Metropolitan Area 2nd Ring Expressway sections from Gimpo to Paju, Paju to Yangju to Pocheon, Pocheon to Hwado, and Hwado to Yangpyeong will open sequentially by 2025. This will transform northern Gyeonggi from an underdeveloped area into the center of the metropolitan area leading the 4th industrial revolution era."

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