Wando-gun Accelerates Regional Development by Establishing a 'Closer Transportation Network'

Published 27 Oct.2022 09:28(KST)

Gwangju-Wando Expressway and Wando-Goheung Coastal Tourist Road Construction Accelerated

Construction of the first phase of the Gwangju-Wando Expressway is in full swing. (Photo by Wando-gun)

[Wando=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Shin Woo-cheol, the mayor of Wando County, announced on the 27th that he has set three major strategies and nine practical tasks for the development of the county and is accelerating the implementation of 78 pledges accordingly.

The three major strategies are ‘Regional Development, Welfare Development, and Future Development,’ and the first task for regional development is ‘Establishing a Closer Transportation Network.’

To establish a closer transportation network, efforts are being made to expedite the early commencement of the second phase of the Gwangju-Wando Expressway, the coastal tourism road island and land connection project between Wando and Goheung, and the second phase of the Nohwa-Soan island bridge.

In particular, as these projects have been reflected in the current government’s national agenda, administrative procedures have been reduced and national funding secured, allowing the projects to proceed at a faster pace.

The Gwangju-Wando Expressway is a project to construct a total of 88.61 km of four-lane road, and the current progress rate of the first phase section from Seo-gu, Gwangju to Seongjeon, Gangjin is 60%.

Meanwhile, the second phase section from Seongjeon, Gangjin to Namchang, Haenam has been included as a priority route in the national agenda and the “2nd Expressway Construction Plan,” and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is conducting a preliminary feasibility study. Next year, continuous proposals will be made to central government agencies to have it selected as a preliminary feasibility study project.

Currently, it takes about two hours from Gwangju to Wando, but once the Gwangju-Wando Expressway opens, travel time will be reduced to within one hour, significantly improving accessibility and greatly contributing to balanced regional development.

The Wando-Goheung coastal tourism road is a project connecting the Yaksan-Geumil-Geumdang-Goheung Geogeumdo section with five bridges, with 900 billion KRW of national funding invested. The county plans to conduct its own feasibility study to develop arguments to persuade central government agencies and political circles to expedite construction.

Once the road is built, travel time, which previously took three hours by detouring inland, will be shortened to within 30 minutes. It is expected to contribute to revitalizing human and material exchanges and attracting tourists by improving accessibility between Yeongnam and Honam regions.

The Nohwa-Soan island bridge construction is being carried out in two phases. The first phase, Nohwa-Gudo island bridge, was opened in 2017.

The second phase, Gudo-Soan island bridge, was designated as Local Road No. 806 in February this year for the Haenam Songji-Nohwa-Soan section. A blueprint will be drawn through the Local Extinction Response Fund and a feasibility study to be conducted by Jeollanam-do Province.

In addition, a facility improvement project, including the improvement of the winding road section of National Road No. 77 in Gogeum, will be carried out with an investment of 41.2 billion KRW in national funds.

It was reflected in the 5th National and Local Road Construction Plan last September, and the Iksan Regional Land Management Office is currently conducting basic and detailed designs.

Shin Woo-cheol, mayor of Wando County, said, “We will do our best to expand the transportation network so that the improvement of living conditions through enhanced transportation convenience will not only improve the quality of life of residents but also contribute to tourism and regional economic revitalization.”