Wando-gun Accelerates Promotion of 4 Major Core SOC Projects

Published 17 Feb.2022 17:33(KST)

Early Start Expected for Expressways, Coastal Tourist Roads, and Yeondogyo Bridges

Location map of the 5th national road construction section from Sangjeong to Cheongyong, Gogeum-myeon, Wando. Photo by Wando-gun

[Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] On the 17th, Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do announced that key projects such as the Gwangju~Wando, Wando~Goheung, and Nohwa~Soan island bridges, which were proposed as future development strategies, have been reflected in the national plan.

In the ‘2nd Five-Year Highway Construction Plan’ announced by the government last month, the second section of the Gwangju~Wando highway (Gangjin Seongjeon~Haenam Namchang) was finally confirmed as a ‘priority promotion’ route, enabling early commencement of the project.

The county is putting all its efforts into ensuring the smooth progress of the first section under construction from Gwangju to Gangjin Seongjeon, as well as reflecting the second section from Gangjin Seongjeon to Haenam Namchang, which has been confirmed in the national plan, in the 20th presidential election pledges to enable early construction.

Once the entire Gwangju~Wando highway is opened, the travel time, which previously took over two hours, will be reduced to under one hour, significantly improving accessibility and reducing logistics costs, thereby greatly enhancing the competitiveness of the county’s industries such as tourism and fisheries.

The Wando~Goheung section, the only unopened segment of the coastal tourist road connecting Mokpo to Busan, was upgraded to a national road last May after 20 years.

Going forward, a total of about 900 billion KRW of national funds will be invested to construct a series of fixed links connecting Wando Yaksan~Geumil~Goheung Geogeumdo.

When the coastal tourist road between Wando and Goheung opens, the travel time, which used to take three hours, will be shortened to 30 minutes, and Wando is expected to emerge as a hub city for exchange between Yeongnam and Honam regions and marine tourism.

Progress can also be accelerated in the construction of the Nohwa~Soan island bridge.

The section from Haenam Songji~Nohwa-eup~Soan-myeon (25.7 km), which was an unregistered road, was designated as Local Road No. 806 earlier this month, enabling the securing of national and provincial funds, thus giving momentum to the construction project of the second phase of the ‘Nohwa~Soan island bridge,’ the ‘Gudo~Soan island bridge’ construction.

This year, 500 million KRW was secured in the government budget for the feasibility study of the ‘Gudo~Soan island bridge construction,’ and the project is becoming more tangible as it is included in the 20th Jeonnam Province presidential election pledges.

Once the island bridges are constructed, the three towns of Nohwa, Soan, and Bogil will be integrated into one, greatly contributing to resolving inconveniences faced by island residents in drinking water, transportation, daily life, culture, and education, as well as revitalizing the abalone industry and tourism.

Last year, the facility improvement project for the Sangjeong~Cheongyong section in Gogeum-myeon was included in the ‘5th National and Local Road Construction Plan.’

Since the upgrade of the Gogeum section to National Road No. 77 in 2001, traffic volume has surged with the successive opening of Sinji Bridge, Gogeum Bridge, and Jangbogo Bridge, but narrow road widths, poor alignment, and severe curves have posed constant traffic accident risks.

A facility improvement project covering 7.2 km will be promoted with an investment of 41.2 billion KRW.

Upon completion, it is expected to improve living conditions by providing transportation convenience and better accessibility for residents and tourists, as well as greatly contributing to tourism and regional economic revitalization.

A county official stated, “We will steadily promote the four core SOC projects to foster long-term regional development,” and emphasized, “We will devote all efforts to SOC project promotion so that our county’s key projects such as the marine healing industry, marine bio industry, and marine tourism hub city can succeed.”