Gwangju City Accelerates Full-Scale Road Opening in Urban Railway Line 2 Construction Area

Removal of Traffic Barriers Near Sansu Five-way Intersection
Expansion from Four to Eight Lanes Brings Prosperity to Local Businesses

On the morning of the 23rd, near Sansu Five-way Intersection in Sansudong, Donggu, Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong, Gwangju Councilor Hong Giwol, Gwangju Councilor Park Mijeong, Donggu District Chief Lim Taek, and residents of Sansudong and Jisandong were removing PE protective walls and lava cones along the 660-meter section between Bus Stop 216 and Bus Stop 217 (around Gwangju Nonghyup Sansudong Branch to Sansu Police Substation). Photo by Min Chanki

Gwangju City is expected to alleviate the traffic inconveniences experienced by citizens by fully reopening the narrowed lanes caused by Phase 1 construction of Subway Line 2 by August next year. The city plans to sequentially resume vehicle traffic on roads that have been paved and maintained.

On the morning of the 23rd, Gwangju City and the Gwangju Urban Railway Construction Headquarters held a traffic opening ceremony for the Phase 1 section of the Gwangju Subway Line 2 construction project near Sansu Five-way Intersection in Sansu-dong, Dong-gu.

About 50 people attended the event, including Mayor Kang Gijung, Gwangju City Council members Hong Giwol and Park Mijeong, Dong-gu District Chief Lim Taek, and residents of Sansu-dong and Jisan-dong. During the ceremony, the plan for paving and opening Phase 1 of Subway Line 2 was reported, and traffic-blocking facilities were removed. The section opened on this day was the 660-meter stretch between Station 216 and Station 217 (from Gwangju Nonghyup Sansu-dong Branch to the area around Sansu Police Station).

Mayor Kang and citizens marked the beginning of the road opening by removing PE safety barriers and rubber cone facilities that had blocked road traffic. As a result, the roadway, which had been reduced to four lanes during construction, can now accommodate eight lanes.

Starting with this road opening, the city will complete paving and resume traffic this month on four additional sections, totaling approximately 2.4 km: Sangmu Jungang-ro (around the BYC Building), Geumhwa-ro (from Kumho-dong Junghung 1 Complex to in front of the World Cup Stadium), Daenam-daero (from Bongseon-dong Namgwangju Nonghyup to Myeongji Road Hill), and World Cup Seoro (around the Gwangju FC Stadium).

By August next year, the city will open all 17 km of Phase 1 of Subway Line 2 to traffic, including Sangmu Jungang-ro (from Yudeokgyo underpass to Yuchon-dong), Pilmun-daero (from Chosun University Intersection to Jisan Intersection), and Seoam-daero (from Seobang Intersection to Gwangju Station Happy Housing). However, the schedule may change depending on weather conditions such as heavy snowfall or temperature drops in winter.

The city is also accelerating its efforts to become a Daejabo (public transportation, bicycle, and pedestrian-centered) city, in line with the visible progress toward the opening of Phase 1 of Subway Line 2 in 2026.

Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong is explaining the paving and opening plan for the first phase of the construction project at the Gwangju Urban Railway Line 2 traffic opening event held near Sansu Five-way Intersection in Sansu-dong, Dong-gu on the morning of the 23rd. Photo by Min Chanki

Additionally, to enhance the efficiency of connections with Subway Line 2, the city is conducting a study to completely reorganize bus routes and will implement the G-Pass policy, a public transportation discount policy that marks the full-fledged start of free transportation for children, starting January 1 next year.

In addition, to create a "walkable path," the city is working to widen the sidewalk from the National Asia Culture Center to Chonnam National University Hospital, and is moving one step closer to a Daejabo city by operating "car-free streets" on weekends.

Local businesses and residents who witnessed the wide reopening of the road expressed their hopes that the local economy would be revitalized.

Moon Jaesik (59), who runs a fruit shop in Sansu-dong, said, "Because the road was so narrow, it was impossible even to stop briefly, and the number of customers dropped significantly. The same was true for other businesses in the neighborhood. Now that the road has been widely reopened, I hope the local economy will recover."

A Gwangju City official said, "The road restoration schedule was somewhat delayed compared to initial expectations due to the discovery of many obstacles such as bedrock. We are grateful to the citizens for enduring the inconveniences caused by the Subway Line 2 construction."

Mayor Kang stated, "With the help of many citizens, the opening of Subway Line 2 is becoming a reality. This road opening is more than just resuming traffic; it marks the starting point for removing the inconveniences faced by citizens, one by one."

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