Multiple Large Vehicle Entrapment Accidents on 'Sinwol Yeo-ui Underpass'... Fines Imposed Starting from the 16th

Strengthened Guidance and Facility Reinforcement to Prevent Misentry of Medium and Large Vehicles Over 3m
Fines and Prosecution Measures Differentiated by Violation Height of Restricted Vehicles

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City has strengthened prevention measures after 20 cases of mistaken entry by medium and large vehicles occurred since the opening of the 'Sinwol-Yeoui Underground Road' on the 16th of last month due to reckless entry by these vehicles.

According to Seoul City on the 4th, to prevent accidents, the city has provided guidance through traffic controllers, VMS vehicles, and banners, while reinforcing facilities to prevent mistaken entry by large vehicles, such as installing entry-blocking barriers, air balloon signboards, and general height restriction signs. The Sinwol-Yeoui Underground Road is a four-lane road connecting Sinwol-dong Sinwol IC directly with Yeouido-dong Yeouidaero and Olympic-daero, with a total length of 7.53 km, and is the first toll road in Korea exclusively for small vehicles.

With the opening of the Sinwol-Yeoui Underground Road, travel time from Sinwol IC to Yeouido is expected to be reduced from the previous 32 minutes to 8 minutes, shortening by 24 minutes, and it is anticipated to play a significant role in improving traffic in the southwestern area. However, since its opening, 20 cases of mistaken entry by medium and large vehicles have occurred, including 8 safety accidents such as getting stuck.

Seoul City plans to install height restriction facilities that emit warning sounds by hanging large abacus bead-shaped rotating pendulums 3 meters above ground at two locations on Olympic-daero, and one location each at Yeouidaero and the Sinwol IC entrance within this week. Previously, Seoul City requested six associations, including the Cargo Truck Solidarity Association and the National Charter Bus Mutual Aid Association, to inform about the prohibition of large vehicle entry, and also requested navigation and map providers to display height restriction information.

Additionally, Seoul City plans to impose fines of up to 1 million KRW starting from the 16th, after a one-month guidance period following the opening, on drivers of medium and large vehicles exceeding 3 meters in height who enter the road, in accordance with relevant laws.

Kwon Wan-taek, Director of the Road Planning Division of Seoul City, said, “The Sinwol-Yeoui Underground Road is Korea’s first deep underground road connecting the southwestern part of Seoul with the city center, opened for traffic convenience, but above all, ‘safety’ is paramount. Reckless entry by large vehicles can lead to facility damage and accidents, so we ask for compliance with the driving restrictions.”

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