Gumi City Strives to Establish New Airport Transportation Network to Secure the Next 100 Years

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk is proactively responding to the expansion of the road traffic network to enhance connectivity with neighboring local governments and improve airport accessibility, following the designation of the Gumi National Industrial Complex as a semiconductor specialized complex and the relocation of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport.

Route map of the Gumi-Gunwi Expressway.

▲ Strengthening New Airport Accessibility with Innovative Transportation Network

The construction of the Gumi-Gunwi Expressway, included in the "2nd Highway Construction Plan," is a large-scale project with a total length of 24.9 km and an investment of 1.5468 trillion KRW. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport initiated a preliminary feasibility study in October. Gumi City is actively recommending to the Ministry to apply for a preliminary feasibility study next year. Once completed, the project will connect the Gyeongbu Expressway and the Jungang Expressway, greatly improving travel convenience and contributing to reducing logistics costs for companies in the Gumi National Industrial Complex.

The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad construction project, which will build a double-track railway spanning 66.8 km from West Daegu through East Gumi, the New Airport, to Uiseong, with a project cost of 2.0444 trillion KRW, was included in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan in 2021 and selected as a leading metropolitan railroad project outside the capital region. The preliminary feasibility study conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is scheduled for completion in March next year.

▲ Expansion of Railway Network through KTX-Eum Stop at Gumi Station

According to the preliminary feasibility report for the construction of the Jungbu Inland Line [Mungyeong?Gimcheon], submitted by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) to the Ministry of Economy and Finance in February this year, KTX-Eum (speed 250 km/h) is planned to operate 7 one-way trips (14 round trips) from Suseo to Dongdaegu. The feasibility study and basic planning service began in March this year.

Once the Mungyeong?Gimcheon section is completed in 2030, KTX-Eum operations from Suseo to Dongdaegu will allow stops at Gumi Station, which is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of companies located in the Gumi National Industrial Complex.

During Minister Won Hee-ryong's visit to Gumi in November, the city proposed several pending projects including ▲ KTX-Eum stop at Gumi Station and high-speed line improvement of the Gyeongbu Line ▲ platform environment improvement at Gumi Station ▲ improvement of narrow and aging Gyeongbu Line railroad crossing boxes (Seongidong, Wonpyeongdong) ▲ establishment of Donggumi Station on the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Line (West Daegu?Uiseong) ▲ construction of a connecting bridge between the 1st to 3rd complexes of the Gumi National Industrial Complex ▲ upgrading Local Road 927 (National Road 33 ~ 5th Industrial Complex ~ New Airport) to a national road ▲ and renaming of Gumi Sagok Station following its establishment.

Minister Won Hee-ryong stated, “It is necessary to ensure that KTX-Eum operates at normal speeds and stops at Gumi Station through line improvement and platform environment enhancement,” and at the railroad crossing box site in Seongidong, he said, “We will actively consider the railroad crossing improvement project to eliminate residents’ inconvenience caused by aging and narrow conditions.”

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visits Gumi.

▲ Installation of Grade-Separated Intersections and Expansion of Geumosan Bypass Road to Alleviate Traffic Congestion

The city is focusing all efforts on alleviating severe traffic congestion during rush hours at Sagok Five-way Intersection, Wonjipyeong-ro Four-way Intersection, and Gumi High School Four-way Intersection by installing grade-separated intersections. Currently, the “Basic and Detailed Design Service for Grade-Separated Intersection Installation” is underway.

Geumosan Mountain is a representative tourist destination in Gumi, suffering from severe congestion due to concentrated traffic during events and tourist seasons. To disperse vehicles entering and exiting Geumosan, the city is conducting the “Basic and Detailed Design Service for Geumosan Bypass Road Construction,” which will open a bypass road from Geumho Eoullim 2nd Apartment to Gyeongbuk Foreign Language High School. Improved accessibility to Geumosan through the bypass road is expected to give a green light to revitalizing the local tourism industry.

▲ Strengthening Industrial Complex Accessibility for Economic Sovereignty and Growth

Currently, the construction of the access road to the 5th complex of the Gumi National Industrial Complex, promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in conjunction with the settlement of companies in the 5th complex, is in full swing. This project, connecting Songnim-ri in Goa-eup to Munryang-ri in Haepyeong-myeon, spans 4.6 km with a budget of 189.9 billion KRW. Construction began in 2018 and is scheduled to open in 2025. Once the access road opens, it is expected to greatly contribute to improving residential conditions by satisfying the demand for proximity between workplace and residence, which is important to workers.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, “We will devote all efforts to establishing a metropolitan transportation network that will secure Gumi’s future for the next 100 years, including the construction of the Gumi-Gunwi Expressway and the establishment of Donggumi Station. We will do our best to revitalize the Gumi National Industrial Complex and achieve a new leap forward for Gumi’s economy centered on the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport.”

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