The Han River Gets Closer... Expanding Accessibility by Increasing Entrances and Elevators

Seoul City is accelerating the expansion of pedestrian and access facilities to ensure that any citizen can reach the Hangang Park within a 10-minute walk. This year, with the completion of the Sinbanpo 3rd Entrance, the total number of entrances to Hangang Park will increase to 62, and two additional elevators will be installed for pedestrians with mobility challenges, expanding the total to 50 elevators.

On the 17th, Seoul City announced that it will continue to promote projects to improve accessibility as part of the second core strategy of the 'Great Hangang Project,' titled 'Convenient Movement to Hangang.'

To this end, the city plans to underground the main roads along the Hangang riverside and create parks on top, expanding the "Green Path," an access facility connecting residential areas and Hangang Park. The Amsa Green Path, which connects the Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site and the Hangang River with green space, will be completed and opened this year with a width of 50 meters and a green area of 6,300 square meters.

The Banpo Cover Park, connecting Olympic Road and residential areas around Banpo, will also enter the competition and design phase this year. The Banpo Cover Park is a public contribution project linked to apartment reconstruction in the Banpo area and is scheduled to be completed by 2027. The city is also establishing new entrances at 500-meter intervals so that citizens can access Hangang Park within a 10-minute walk from anywhere in the Hangang hinterland.

This year, with public contributions from reconstruction projects, the Sinbanpo 3rd Entrance will open, and the Seoul Forest Entrance, previously managed for military use, will be transferred to city jurisdiction, increasing the number of Hangang Park entrances to 62. Two other entrances, Shini-chon and Shinttukseom, will also enter construction or design phases. The Shini-chon Entrance will be located midway between the existing Ichon Entrance and Seobinggo Entrance, which are currently spaced 1,400 meters apart. Once completed, the distance between Ichon Entrance and Shini-chon Entrance will be about 720 meters, and between Shini-chon Entrance and Seobinggo Entrance about 680 meters, reducing the spacing between entrances. The city completed the design last year, started construction in February this year, and aims to complete it by May 2027.

The Shinttukseom Entrance will be newly created as a pedestrian-only path with a width of 5 meters and a length of 51 meters, located midway between Ttukseom Entrance and Jayang Entrance. With the addition of Shinttukseom Entrance, the existing 700-meter distance between entrances will be reduced to 400 meters (Ttukseom to Shinttukseom) and 300 meters (Shinttukseom to Jayang). The city will conduct design work this year and complete the entrance by 2027.

Since 2021, the city has installed elevators at Seogang Bridge North End, Danginri, Yanghwa Bridge North End, and Dongho Bridge South End, and this year will add elevators at Olympic Bridge North End and Yeongdong Bridge North End. With this, the total number of elevators in Hangang Park will increase to 50 this year. The city plans to expand the number of elevators to 65 by 2030.

Old and dark entrances will also be remodeled. From 2022 to last year, the city remodeled five of 31 aging entrances (Jjeumeungil, Banpo Guide, Seoraeseom, Yeomchang, Pungnap), and this year will improve facilities at three more entrances: Mapo Terminal, Bogwang, and Mapo. The interiors and exteriors of these entrances will be brightened and made safer, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems will be upgraded to the latest models. Elevators will be installed at Bogwang and Mapo Terminal entrances, and a citizen rest area will be created at Mapo Terminal entrance.

A fun design and art combined entrance art museum called the 'Rabbit Museum' will also be established. Last year, the city installed Rabbit Museums at Mangwon and Jamsil entrances, exhibiting content using various works by famous artists such as Van Gogh and Kim Whanki. This year, Rabbit Museums will be additionally installed at Mapo Terminal and Pungnap entrances.

Additionally, in December last year, movie projectors capable of broadcasting video content were installed at five entrances: Pungnap Fortress, Oksu, Yeouido, Yeomchang, and Nodeulgil. Through these, various promotional videos are broadcast, including major events held at Hangang Park and information on how to use the park.

Joo Yong-tae, head of Seoul City's Future Hangang Headquarters, said, "We are promoting various projects to expand access facilities so that the paths to Hangang are comfortable, safe, and enjoyable," adding, "We will not overlook qualitative improvements such as facility upgrades and the creation of entrance art museums."

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