Northern Gyeonggi, 'Satongpaldal' Transportation Network to Be Established in 2025

Seoul-Munsan Expressway Opening in November
Sequential Construction of 4 Key Roads Including Gimpo-Paju, Paju-Pocheon

Seoul Ring Expressway Renamed in September
Capital Region 1st Circular Expressway
Shedding Seoul Suburban Area Image

National Route 37 connecting Paju and Gapyeong, opened last month

[Asia Economy (Uijeongbu) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The poor transportation network in the northern Gyeonggi region will be reorganized by 2025. If this happens, a new turning point is expected to be created in the northern Gyeonggi region, which has been relatively slow in development compared to the southern Gyeonggi region.

Gyeonggi Province especially expects that if the transportation network is expanded as originally planned, the northern region will play a forward base role in future inter-Korean trade and other activities.

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 21st, the 'Seoul~Munsan Private Highway,' a 35.2 km long 2 to 6-lane road connecting Naepo-ri, Munsan-eup, Paju City to Gangmae-dong, Deogyang-gu, Goyang City, will open in November.

This road connects Munsan to Goyang~Seoul~Gwangmyeong~Suwon~Pyeongtaek and extends to Iksan, Jeonbuk. The province expects that this road will become the western backbone network of South Korea, potentially connecting Seoul~Kaesong~Pyongyang in the future depending on improvements in inter-Korean relations.

The northern section of the Capital Region Second Ring Expressway is also under construction, divided into four sections with a target completion in 2025. The four sections are ▲ Gimpo~Paju (25.36 km) ▲ Paju~Yangju~Pocheon (24.82 km) ▲ Pocheon~Namyangju Hwado (28.97 km) ▲ Hwado~Yangpyeong (17.61 km).

Construction is also underway on the replacement bypass road for National Road No. 3. This road runs north-south for 36.7 km from the Seoul boundary through Uijeongbu~Yangju~Dongducheon to Yeoncheon. Only the Dongducheon Anheung~Yeoncheon Cheongsan section (6.7 km) remains. This section is scheduled to open in 2022.

Earlier, the province completed the National Road No. 37 connecting Paju to Gapyeong last month after 20 years since construction began. The province opened the last unopened section of 3.5 km between Baegui-ri and Jangtan-ri in Cheongsan-myeon, Yeoncheon, completing the entire 73 km route connecting the northernmost part of Gyeonggi east to west.

The province explained that once the remaining three roads are all opened following National Road No. 37, northern Gyeonggi will have a grid-like road network.

The province also expressed expectations regarding the renaming of the 'Seoul Outer Ring Expressway,' which circles the outskirts of Seoul, to the 'Capital Region First Ring Expressway' starting this September.

The province plans to complete the replacement of road signs by the end of next month, spending 500 million won. The province has been promoting the road name change because the name 'Seoul Outer Ring Expressway' has given Gyeonggi Province a negative image as merely a peripheral area of Seoul.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport accepted Gyeonggi Province's proposal and finalized the name change last month after holding consultations with related agencies and a road policy review committee meeting.

This route was designated as the 'Pangyo-Guri Expressway' in January 1988, and in July 1991, the terminus was extended to Toegyewon, after which it was named the Seoul Outer Ring Expressway. Later, in December 2007, the Uijeongbu~Songchu interchange section was added, completing the entire 128 km route. Of the total route, 103.6 km (81%) is in Gyeonggi Province, and 12.5 km (10%) is in Incheon City.

A provincial official said, "With the sequential opening of four key roads in the northern Gyeonggi region and the renaming of the Seoul Outer Ring Expressway after 29 years, the image and transportation conditions of the northern region are expected to improve significantly."

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