Into the 30-Year History of 'Seonyu Overpass'... Seoul City to Demolish by December Next Year

Maintaining 8 Lanes Both Ways, Doubling Sidewalk Width... Creating People-Centered Urban Spaces

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The 30-year-old ‘Seonyu Overpass’ will disappear into history by the end of next year.

On the 7th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will demolish the ‘Seonyu Overpass’ by December next year, starting sequential vehicle restrictions from 0:00 on the 9th toward Yeouido (Mok-dong → Yeouido).

The ‘Seonyu Overpass’ was installed in 1991 at the entrance intersection of the Gyeongin Expressway where National Assembly-daero and Seonyu-ro meet in Yangpyeong-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, to alleviate traffic congestion in downtown areas toward Gangbuk such as Yeouido and Mapo. However, the overpass blocked the area between Yangpyeong-dong 3-ga and Dangsan-dong 3 and 4-ga, causing disconnection between regions and harming the urban landscape. Residents around Yeongdeungpo have continuously demanded its removal as a long-standing issue.

Once the ‘Seonyu Overpass’ is demolished, the current dual road system consisting of the overpass and the lower road (National Assembly-daero - Seonyu-ro intersection) will be unified into a flat intersection. The urban landscape, previously blocked by the overpass, will be restored, and the disconnection between regions will be resolved, expected to revitalize the local economy. In particular, while maintaining the number of lanes by reducing lane width, the sidewalk width will be expanded from 6.80m to 13.12m. In connection with the National Assembly-daero upper park project and road diet, the plan is to create a people-centered urban space.

The demolition work will proceed sequentially to minimize inconvenience to citizens. First, from the 9th until May next year, two lanes (260m) toward Yeouido (Mok-dong → Yeouido) will be demolished. Then, vehicle restrictions and demolition of two lanes (272m) toward Seonyudo (Mok-dong → Seonyudo) will begin and be completed by September next year. Finally, the two lanes (129m) toward Mok-dong, the starting point, will be demolished by December next year, completing all demolition work.

Demolition work will mainly be carried out at night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, when vehicle traffic is low, to ensure pedestrian safety. During the day, preparatory work for demolition will be conducted. The Seoul Metropolitan Government asked drivers using National Assembly-daero during the demolition period to check real-time traffic information and use detours according to congestion levels.

Lee Jeong-hwa, head of the Urban Infrastructure Headquarters of Seoul City, explained, "The demolition of the Seonyu Overpass is expected to greatly contribute to revitalizing the local economy by resolving issues of urban landscape degradation and regional disconnection," adding, "We will create an eco-friendly, people-centered urban space in connection with the National Assembly-daero upper park project."

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