Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway Passes Preliminary Feasibility Study... Construction Scheduled for 2025

Location map of Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] The Seoul?Yangpyeong Expressway, considered a long-awaited project in the eastern metropolitan area, has been confirmed for implementation after passing the preliminary feasibility study.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 30th that the Seoul?Yangpyeong Expressway project was approved as feasible at the Financial Project Evaluation Committee meeting chaired by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The comprehensive evaluation (AHP) score for the route's economic and policy feasibility is 0.508. An AHP score above 0.5 is considered to indicate feasibility.

Earlier, in January 2017, the Ministry of Land included the Seoul?Yangpyeong route in the expressway construction plan to strengthen the arterial function of the eastern metropolitan area and promote balanced regional development in northern Gwangju City and Yangpyeong County.

Subsequently, the project gained momentum as it was included in the metropolitan transportation measures for the Hanam Gyo-san New Town (32,000 households) announced in December 2018 as part of the metropolitan housing supply plan.

After starting the preliminary feasibility study in April 2019, the project passed the evaluation through comprehensive assessments including economic analysis (B/C) and policy analysis (expected effects of project implementation).

The Seoul?Yangpyeong Expressway project involves constructing a 4-lane expressway spanning 27.0 km from Gam-il-dong (Oryun Intersection) in Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, to Yangseo-myeon in Yangpyeong County. The total estimated project cost is 1.7695 trillion KRW.

The expressway will serve as a main arterial road for residents of Gyo-san New Town traveling to Seoul or southern Gyeonggi areas, becoming a key axis in the new town’s transportation network.

Once completed, the route is expected to alleviate traffic congestion on National Route 6, which has been severely congested due to weekday commuting and weekend tourism demand.

Additionally, by connecting the metropolitan area’s 1st and 2nd ring roads, traffic congestion on the 1st ring road will be eased, and the arterial function of the eastern metropolitan area will be significantly strengthened through reduced detour distances.

Moreover, for northern Gwangju City and Yangpyeong County, improved access to key facilities such as healthcare, cultural, and sports facilities will enhance residents’ quality of life and stimulate local economic revitalization through increased tourism.

Joo Hyun-jong, Director of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, said, "Considering the traffic congestion level in the eastern metropolitan area and the timing of Gyo-san New Town residents moving in, it is necessary to expedite the project. We plan to speed up follow-up procedures such as feasibility studies and design, aiming to start construction as early as 2025."

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