Major Undergrounding Project Underway Around Eungam Station in Eunpyeong-gu

Improvement of Road Aesthetics and Pedestrian Environment through Underground Installation... Expected to Benefit Local Economy through Environmental Enhancement

Expected View After Undergrounding Project in the Eungam Five-way Intersection Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is set to launch a large-scale underground utility project starting from the area around Eungam Station.

Until now, Eunpyeong-gu has faced relatively poor financial conditions compared to other districts, resulting in a lagging undergrounding project for overhead distribution lines.

However, in recent years, with active urban development projects such as reconstruction and redevelopment, changes in the urban environment and conditions have led to the gradual implementation of undergrounding overhead lines starting from the outer roads of development project sections.

In particular, in 2018, a 10-year mid- to long-term plan for undergrounding projects worth approximately 50 billion KRW was established. Financial resources are being invested through a 50%:50% cost-sharing match between underground facility management agencies (KEPCO, telecommunications, etc.) and local governments, launching a large-scale undergrounding project centered around the Eungam Station area.

Additionally, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Subsidy Management Ordinance, 25% of the local government’s 50% share is supported by the Seoul city budget, so Eunpyeong-gu only bears 25% of the total project cost.

Originally, the plan was to start from Yeonsinnae Station, but considering traffic congestion and resident inconvenience due to road control overlapping with the Great Train Express (GTX) project, the project will proceed annually starting from Eungam Station.

The undergrounding project involves burying the scattered overhead distribution lines and aerial cables underground to improve urban aesthetics and pedestrian environments. The construction will be directly carried out by Korea Electric Power Corporation and telecommunications companies. This year, the first and second phases will begin construction in the first and second halves of the year, with completion expected in 2022.

A district official stated, “As a pilot project in 2019, the undergrounding project around Eungam Five-way Intersection secured a barrier-free walking space by removing utility poles and communication poles on the road, receiving great positive feedback from residents.” He added, “Starting this year, by fully implementing Yeonseo-ro and Jeungsan-ro, the representative east-west arterial roads of Eunpyeong-gu, not only will the pedestrian environment improve, but overall living conditions will be enhanced, which will also benefit the local economy.”

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