National Funding Secured for Gwangju Congestion Road Improvements... Pungam Intersection and Seomun-daero Sections to Proceed

Two Gwangju projects finally selected for the “5th Metropolitan Area Traffic Congestion Road Improvement Project” by the transport ministry
Pungam Intersection underground road and Seomun-daero–Bongseon-dong tunnel to be pursued
50% of design and construction costs to be funded by the central government...expected to ease downtown traffic congestion

Two major traffic congestion road improvement projects in Gwangju Metropolitan City have been included in the central government plan. The projects cover the grade separation of the Pungam Intersection and the construction of a new road connecting Seomun-daero and Bongseon-dong, with 50% of design and construction costs to be funded by the national government. This is expected to reduce the city’s fiscal burden while fully launching efforts to improve chronically congested sections in the downtown area.

According to Gwangju City on February 6, two Gwangju City congestion road projects funded by the national government have been finally included in the “5th Metropolitan Area Traffic Congestion Road Improvement Project (2026-2030)” currently being drawn up by the Metropolitan Transport Commission under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Location map of sections included in Gwangju City's '5th Metropolitan Area Traffic Congestion Road Improvement Project'. Provided by Gwangju City.

The congestion road improvement project is a central government program aimed at easing traffic congestion in downtown areas that are chronically jammed during commuting hours, by building bypass roads or connecting existing roads to expressways and motorways to disperse traffic volume. Fifty percent of design and construction costs are covered by national funds.

Over the next five years, Gwangju City will receive national funding in stages for the two selected road projects.

The “Pungam Intersection Traffic Congestion Improvement Project” is designed to implement a grade-separated (underground) intersection to relieve congestion at the Pungam Interchange (Pungam IC) on the Second Ring Road and at Pungam Intersection, a major gateway into the city center. The project aims to alleviate intersection congestion by separating through-traffic from traffic entering and exiting the Second Ring Road. It is expected to shorten vehicle travel times, improve the level of traffic service, reduce inconvenience for citizens during commuting hours, and enhance traffic safety in nearby residential areas.

The “Seomun-daero–Bongseon-dong” four-lane road construction project is a tunnel construction project intended to directly connect the Bongseon and Jinwol districts. It aims to resolve the problem of traffic concentration on Seomun-daero and Bongseon-ro caused by the current configuration, which forces vehicles to detour via Baegun Square. Once the tunnel is built, the Bongseon and Jinwol districts will be directly connected, which is expected to improve traffic efficiency.

In the course of promoting large-scale projects such as the construction of Urban Railway Line 2, Gwangju City has faced difficulties in securing municipal funds for the construction of new roads. The city explained that, through consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, it pursued project discussions focusing on grade separation and strengthened connectivity, which led to the inclusion of these projects for national funding.

The 5th congestion road improvement project aims to disperse traffic volume by expanding connecting transport networks and to resolve congestion through the grade separation of intersections. The plan focuses on enhancing the efficiency of the arterial road network through structural improvements rather than simple road expansion.

An official from Gwangju City stated, “With the inclusion of these projects as nationally funded programs, we can now move forward with long-cherished projects that had run up against funding limits,” adding, “We will continue to promote improvements to the road system in ways that citizens can truly feel in their daily lives.”

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