Gyeongju City Expands and Opens Access Road to Bomun Complex, a 'Chronic Congestion' Area... Four Years After Groundbreaking

2.4km Section Connecting Downtown and Bomun Tourist Complex ... Fully Opening by the End of March

Aerial photo of the entrance road to Bomun Tourist Complex, a habitual congestion area in Gyeongju City.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] Gyeongju City announced on the 7th that the 2.4 km section of the urban planning road connecting the downtown area and Bomun Tourist Complex will be fully expanded and opened by the end of March.

It has been four years since the groundbreaking in March 2017. With this construction, the 2.4 km section of Alcheonbuk-ro from Guhwanggyo to Bomungyo was expanded from two lanes to four lanes.

The road expansion project was carried out in three phases to ensure efficient progress, including consultations related to cultural heritage, land compensation, and budget procurement.

The first phase, a 400 m section from Bomungyo, the entrance of the Bomunho loop road, to the Sanbul Choso (fire lookout), was completed one year after construction began. The second phase, an 800 m section from Sanbul Choso to Alcheon Sugegi, which started in November 2017, was completed in March 2019.

According to Gyeongju City, both the first and second phase construction sections are mountainous terrain, requiring the removal of up to 30,000 cubic meters of rock and the installation of approximately 270 meters of L-shaped retaining walls before the road could be expanded.

Following this, the third phase, a 1,200 m section from Alcheon Sugegi to Guhwanggyo, began construction in April last year and is now on the verge of full expansion and opening, four years after the first phase groundbreaking.

With the Alcheonbuk-ro section from Guhwanggyo to Bomungyo smoothly expanded to four lanes, the chronic traffic congestion in the Bomun Tourist Complex is expected to be greatly improved. In particular, traffic congestion on Gyeonggam-ro, which connects the Guhwanggyo intersection to the Bomungyo intersection within the Bomun Complex, is expected to be alleviated as vehicles are dispersed to the newly expanded and opened Alcheonbuk-ro.

Mayor Joo Nak-young of Gyeongju emphasized, "This road expansion will greatly improve accessibility not only for local residents but also for tourists visiting major attractions within the Bomun Complex, such as Donggungwon."

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