Seoul City Begins Construction of 'Gwanghwamun Square Restructuring' Today... How Will Traffic Issues Be Addressed?

Starting with the Expansion and Maintenance of the East Side Road of Gwangjang on the 16th... "Minimizing Inconvenience to Vehicle Traffic and Pedestrian Movement"
Implementing 17 Comprehensive Traffic Measures to Maintain Current Traffic Speed During Construction... Joint TF Operation with City Police

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is starting the restructuring of Gwanghwamun Square. The plan is to first expand and renovate the east side road of the square, then proceed step-by-step with the creation of the west side square. To minimize the anticipated traffic inconvenience, a comprehensive traffic plan containing 17 measures will also be established and implemented. These include dispersing and rerouting concentrated traffic volumes, traffic improvement projects on nearby roads, rerouting and flexible scheduling of city buses near Sejong-daero, among others.

Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, held a groundbreaking press conference for the new Gwanghwamun Square construction project at Seoul City Hall on the 16th, announcing that construction to create a "square where people can rest and walk comfortably" will begin that day. Considering vehicle traffic and pedestrian flow, the project will first expand and renovate the east side road by February next year, followed by the creation of a "park-like square" from May to October next year.

According to the city, the current west side road of the square (towards Sejong Center for the Performing Arts) will be incorporated into the square and expanded as a pedestrian walkway. The east side of the square (in front of the U.S. Embassy in Korea) will be expanded into a 7 to 9-lane road allowing two-way traffic. The widened square will be developed as a "park-like square enjoyed in daily life."

The first phase involves road construction adjacent to the square. By February next year, the expansion and renovation of the east side road will be completed to allow vehicles from the west side lanes to use the east side road. The city stated that the timing for restricting vehicle traffic on the west side lanes will be determined and implemented considering the stabilization of traffic flow on the east side road’s up and down lanes. The east side road expansion and renovation construction starting today will use 10.1 billion KRW from this year’s budget, which was approved by the city council last year. The work will continue until the end of February next year. Some sections of the west side sidewalk (from in front of the Government Seoul Office to in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts) will undergo archaeological excavation divided by zones until January next year. Excavations on the lanes will be conducted in March to April next year.

The second phase will transform the west side road space near Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, where lanes will disappear and become pedestrian paths, into a "square embracing a park." Reflecting citizens’ suggestions, flowers, trees, and grass that allow people to feel the changes of the four seasons will be planted throughout, and a bicycle path (1.5m wide, 550m long) will be created on the east side of the square. During the square construction period, Haechi Madang and Sejong-ro Park will also be improved to strengthen connectivity between the square and surrounding areas.

The Gwanghwamun Square construction will proceed section by section from in front of Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, where pedestrian traffic is heavy, to the Government Seoul Office, allowing citizens to use completed sections as they finish. Starting with remodeling Haechi Madang, the square’s floor will be paved with flagstones, ramps and stairs will be improved, and water features and variable facilities will be installed. On the west side road near Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, 317 tall trees of 37 species and 6,700 small trees of 30 species will be planted to reflect Korea’s nature and the four seasons. Additionally, 33 species totaling 33,431 flowers and two types of grass covering 2,698㎡ will be planted.

Seoul City plans to complete the major processes of the east side road expansion and renovation construction within this year to minimize citizen inconvenience and impact on nearby businesses, and to coordinate with the creation of the "Sejong-daero People’s Forest Path." Since the adjacent "Sejong-daero People’s Forest Path (Seoul Station to Sejong-daero Intersection, 1.5 km)" construction will be completed in December, the construction will be linked to prevent vehicle bottlenecks between Sejong-daero Intersection and Gwanghwamun. To prevent poor construction quality during winter roadworks, major processes such as road curbs will be concentrated and completed this year, while other works like sidewalks will be done after winter or minimized.

During the construction period, only one lane will be minimally occupied to maintain current traffic speeds, and a comprehensive traffic plan containing 17 measures will be implemented to minimize inconvenience for nearby vehicle movement and public transport users. To ensure smooth implementation, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the city will jointly operate the "Gwanghwamun Square Traffic Management Task Force (TF)."

Traffic volume will be dispersed·and rerouted. Long-distance vehicles will be directed to outer areas of the Green Transportation Zone (Hanyangdoseong) by designating traffic congestion relief zones and adjusting signals at 22 intersections to disperse and reroute traffic to the city outskirts. For short-distance vehicles, traffic congestion will be minimized by optimizing signals at a total of 60 intersections considering real-time traffic flow. Nearby road traffic improvement projects will also be carried out. Traffic improvement projects will be implemented on roads around Sejong-daero such as Saemunan-ro 3-gil to secure detour routes. Left turns will be newly installed at major intersections connecting Sejong-daero with Sajik-ro and Yulgok-ro to evenly distribute traffic volume from Sejong-daero to surrounding roads.

Public transportation will also be adjusted with rerouting and flexible scheduling of city buses near Sejong-daero. Considering construction and road condition changes, Seoul city bus routes that turn around at Sejong-daero Gwanghwamun Intersection will be rerouted to surrounding areas to minimize inconvenience for public transport users. Additional route adjustments and flexible scheduling will be implemented based on traffic speed and other factors.

A "Traffic Situation Analysis Team" will be operated to analyze traffic conditions and monitor unexpected situations continuously to establish traffic improvement plans, and a "Rapid Response Team" will conduct on-site inspections and immediately respond and take action when problems arise. Seoul City will install over 300 guide banners and signs on major arterial roads and intersections with heavy vehicle traffic and provide real-time traffic information through navigation systems, radio, and the Seoul Traffic Information System (TOPIS).

Meanwhile, the "Gyeongbokgung Gwanghwamun Woldae Cultural Heritage Restoration and Surrounding Maintenance Project," jointly promoted by the Cultural Heritage Administration and Seoul City, will be carried out in coordination with changes to the square. The Gwanghwamun Woldae will undergo necessary administrative procedures such as consultations with related agencies in the first half of next year within the scope that does not interfere with traffic flow and the function of Sajik-ro. In the second half of next year, detailed excavation will be conducted, and restoration of the Woldae and other cultural heritage and surrounding maintenance will be completed by 2023.

Acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyeop said, "The Gwanghwamun Square project has been promoted as an extension of city administration policies such as the Seoul Historical City Center Basic Plan and the Special Comprehensive Plan for Green Transportation Zones, aiming to restore the historical significance of the Gwanghwamun area and expand pedestrian spaces within Hanyangdoseong." He added, "Since this is the result of over 300 communications with citizens over four years, we will proceed steadily without wavering to ensure that the long participation, communication, efforts, and expectations of citizens are not in vain."

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