<기사제목>Metropolitan Area 2nd Ring Road Incheon~Ansan Section Passes Incheon City Wetland Protection Consultation

The construction project of the Metropolitan Area 2nd Ring Expressway section from Incheon to Ansan, which had faced difficulties due to the protection issues of the Songdo mudflat wetland, has passed the consultation procedure with Incheon City.

On the 1st, Incheon City announced that it conditionally approved the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's request for 'consultation on activities within the Songdo mudflat wetland protection area' related to the 2nd Ring Expressway Incheon to Ansan section project.

The city held a Wetland Conservation Committee meeting the day before, reviewed the effects of the large-scale national project and whether it would impair the functions of the Songdo mudflat, a wetland protection area, and then accepted the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's request on the condition of passing the strategic environmental impact assessment and environmental impact assessment.

The committee considered that the consultation on activities regarding this road plan was to be conducted when the Songdo mudflat was designated as a wetland protection area, that the road plan was explicitly listed as a threat factor during the Ramsar wetland registration, and that additional wetland protection measures could be prepared during the environmental impact assessment consultation stage.

Songdo Mudflat
Photo provided by Incheon City

The construction project of the 2nd Ring Road Incheon to Ansan section, which is being implemented with a budget of 1.6889 trillion won, consists of Section 1 from Siheung Narae to Namsongdo, 8.4 km, and Section 2 from Namsongdo to Incheon South Port, 11.4 km, totaling 19.8 km in length.

Initially, the plan was to proceed with the strategic environmental impact assessment first and then advance the project, but difficulties arose due to issues such as minimizing wetland protection and environmental impact. Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport applied to Incheon City for consultation on activities within the wetland protection area first and plans to supplement wetland protection measures while conducting the strategic environmental impact assessment in the future.

Park Deok-su, Vice Mayor of Incheon City and chairman of the Wetland Conservation Committee, said, "The Metropolitan Area 2nd Ring Line is a necessary project for the sustainable development of Incheon City and the 30 million citizens of the metropolitan area," adding, "We will minimize wetland damage by preparing additional mitigation measures during the environmental impact assessment process."

The Metropolitan Area 2nd Ring Expressway is a road connecting Gimpo?Paju?Pocheon?Namyangju?Yangpyeong?Icheon?Osan?Ansan?Incheon?Gimpo, spanning 260.34 km with a total investment of 14.4633 trillion won. The unopened section from Namyangpyeong to Icheon (19.37 km) is scheduled to open in 2026, and the Incheon to Ansan section is targeted for opening in 2029.

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