Seoul Forms Gangbuk Transversal Underground Expressway Council to Reflect Residents' Voices

Mayor Oh Se-hoon Holds Inaugural Council Ceremony on the 16th
Gathering Local Needs and Seeking Alternatives with Experts
"Reducing Conflict and Pooling Wisdom to Solve Problems"

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has formed a consultative body comprising local residents and experts to support the construction of the Gangbuk Transversal Underground Expressway.

Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon visited Yujin Shopping Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on January 15 and received a briefing on the progress of the "Gangbuk Transverse Underground Expressway Construction" under the Naebunsunhwan-ro passing above the shopping center. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

On March 16, Mayor Oh Se-hoon hosted an inaugural ceremony for the Gangbuk Transversal Underground Expressway Public-Private-Academic Policy Council at Seoul City Hall, attended by resident representatives from six districts and experts from various fields.

The Gangbuk Transversal Underground Expressway project involves constructing a six-lane urban expressway underground, spanning approximately 20.5 km from Seongsan Interchange on the Naebunsunhwan-ro to Sinnye Interchange on the Bukbu Expressway. The plan is to demolish old overpasses and expand the road network while reorganizing urban space by 2037.

The council brings together stakeholders from the public, private, and academic sectors to discuss anticipated local issues and technical challenges throughout the project’s implementation, aiming to achieve broad social consensus.

The consultative body consists of a total of 67 members, including resident representatives, officials from the city and district governments, and experts in road traffic, disaster safety, and urban development. In particular, city and district council members and resident representatives from the six key districts—Mapo-gu, Seodaemun-gu, Jongno-gu, Seongbuk-gu, Jungnang-gu, and Nowon-gu—will participate to ensure that local opinions are directly reflected in the project.

The "Residents’ Consultative Group," which includes resident representatives recommended by each district and city and district officials, will gather local needs, while specialized "Expert Groups" in fields such as road traffic and disaster safety will review technical feasibility and alternative proposals.

Subsequently, the overall council will repeatedly convene joint meetings to present the findings and reach consensus on major issues. The plan is to gradually resolve key concerns, such as the underground passage beneath private land, the locations of entrance/exit interchanges and shafts, and traffic management during construction, in stages.

Efforts to enhance on-site communication will also be strengthened. Regional meetings will be held along each section of the project to discuss local road conditions, waterfront accessibility, and issues such as noise and dust during construction, with the aim of increasing transparency and policy acceptance throughout the process. Comprehensive safety measures for the operation of the underground expressway will also be thoroughly discussed, led by experts.

The city expects that shifting away from a solely administrative decision-making process to a consultative framework that directly incorporates residents’ voices will become a key foundation for successfully implementing the Gangbuk Transversal Underground Expressway project.

Mayor Oh stated, "The public-private-academic policy council, which brings together resident representatives, city and district officials, and experts from each field, will serve as a Seoul-style forum for public discourse that reduces conflict and brings together wisdom to solve problems. We will steadily build robust social consensus and diligently pursue 'Gangbuk Renaissance 2.0.'"

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