"Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway" Breaks Ground... 92% Passes Through Gimpo, Kicking Off Northwestern Transportation Revolution

Gimpo City Breaks Ground on Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway
92% of Total Route Passes Through Gimpo
Expected to Serve as Key Infrastructure Linked to Hangang 2 Compact City
Mayor Kim Byungsoo: "We Will Do Our Best for Early Completion"

With the groundbreaking of the Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway, the project to establish a large-scale transportation network in the northwestern part of the Seoul metropolitan area has officially entered the implementation phase. On March 12, Mayor Kim Byungsoo attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the "Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway Construction Project" held at the Ganghwa County Sports Center in Seonwon-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, pledging to ensure the smooth progress of the project.

Mayor Byungsoo Kim is attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the "Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway Construction Project" held on the 12th at the Ganghwa-gun Sports Center in Seonwon-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. Provided by Gimpo City

Kim Byungsoo, Mayor of Gimpo, stated, "The Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway is a key regional infrastructure that will dramatically improve the transportation system in the northwestern part of the Seoul metropolitan area, including Gimpo City. Starting with today's groundbreaking ceremony, we will do our utmost to ensure the project proceeds without delay, working closely with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Expressway Corporation, and other related organizations, to complete the project as early as possible."

The Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway, being promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Expressway Corporation, is a national arterial road project that will span a total length of 29.9 km from Sangya-dong in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, passing through Gimpo City and reaching Sinjeong-ri in Seonwon-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, with four to six lanes in each direction. The total project cost is approximately 3.3 trillion won, with completion targeted for 2032.

Of the entire route, about 92%, or 27.4 km, will pass through Gimpo City. As a key hub city connecting the Seoul metropolitan area with Ganghwa Island, Gimpo is expected to play a central role in the northwestern metropolitan transportation network.

Since the preliminary and detailed design stages, Gimpo City has actively communicated a variety of opinions and worked closely with related organizations to minimize the impact of expressway construction on the local living environment and urban structure, while maximizing the transportation convenience of residents.

In particular, for Section 4, which includes the Daegok District in Incheon, Solte Sports Park, and the Gimpo Hangang 2 Compact City area, the city requested a review of underground expressway construction to minimize concerns about urban division and environmental damage. The city has also consistently proposed traffic measures to minimize inconvenience to residents, such as route adjustments and the expansion of frontage roads to prevent the division of residential areas.

Additionally, to enhance traffic accessibility in the northwestern area of Gimpo, the city actively advocated for the installation of a new interchange, provisionally named "Gomak IC," in the Gomak-ri area of Wolgot-myeon, which led to its inclusion in the design. This is expected to significantly improve regional transportation access and facilitate logistics movement for local residents and businesses in the Wolgot-myeon area.

Furthermore, the new expressway is projected to function as a core infrastructure that will improve traffic flow in the northwestern Seoul metropolitan area and enhance overall regional accessibility by linking to the planned Gimpo Hangang 2 Compact City. In particular, it is expected to play a major role in improving transportation conditions in the northwestern part of Gimpo and promoting balanced development throughout the city.

Gimpo City plans to continue working closely with related organizations throughout the project implementation process to minimize any inconvenience to residents during construction and to ensure that the expressway leads to regional development and increased transportation benefits.

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