[Report] "5 Minutes for 400m" Exhausting Commute... Starfield Suwon Opened Without Completion Approval

Around 6 p.m. on the 20th near Starfield Suwon in Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province. During rush hour, vehicles flooded onto Suseong-ro in front of Starfield Suwon, connecting Suwon Guwondong to Jeongjadong. Looking from the overpass above the Hwasan Underpass on Suseong-ro, the line of cars stretched all the way to the Sukji Park Intersection, about 800 meters away, filling the road. Kim Seung-su (29), who passes this spot every weekday during rush hour, said, "This road has always been congested, but since Starfield opened, the traffic has worsened. A trip that should take 10 minutes now takes 20 to 30 minutes, making the commute very exhausting."

Around 6 p.m. on the 20th, looking from the overpass above the Hwasan Underpass toward the Suseong-ro section in front of Starfield Suwon. Vehicles are forming a long line as traffic builds up. Photo by Seongpil Jo @gatozz

원본보기 아이콘

When the reporting team took the wheel and entered the Hwasan Underpass, Kim’s frustration proved justified. It took over 5 minutes to pass the Hwaseomun Police Substation about 400 meters from the underpass. Converted to average speed, it was about 4 km/h, no faster than an adult’s walking pace. Earlier, Suwon City announced that vehicle traffic on the 1 km stretch of Suseong-ro in front of Starfield increased by 12% on weekends and 15% during weekday rush hours since the mall’s opening.

It has been confirmed that Shinsegae Group’s complex shopping mall, 'Starfield Suwon,' opened last month with a temporary use permit because it did not receive building use approval (completion approval). This was due to the failure to install the entrance and exit ramps inside the nearby underpass required for completion approval, and as the construction dragged on, it has recently caused severe traffic congestion on nearby roads.

According to industry sources on the 21st, construction of an approximately 500-meter underpass passing underground from the Hwasan Underpass in front of Starfield Suwon to the Gyeongbu Line has been ongoing since 2022. Half of the eight-lane road is restricted due to construction, and the remaining lanes are split in a Y shape, causing bottlenecks. The traffic countermeasure for Starfield Suwon is being implemented by KT&G, with completion originally scheduled for December last year, but the construction period has recently been extended to June next year. Due to the delay, it is unlikely that the traffic congestion will ease in the short term.

View of Starfield Suwon in Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

The extension of the underpass construction also had a decisive impact on Starfield Suwon’s failure to obtain completion approval from the relevant authorities. To receive completion approval, entrance and exit ramps for vehicles inside the extended underpass had to be installed according to the traffic impact assessment review results. However, as the underpass extension construction was delayed, this was not fulfilled. Ultimately, Starfield Suwon postponed its opening by about a month and began operations with a temporary use permit.

The temporary use period for Starfield Suwon is two years. To continue operations afterward, Starfield Suwon must either install the entrance and exit ramps and obtain completion approval or extend the temporary use period. If the extension is denied without ramp installation, Starfield Suwon will be forced to close. Shinsegae Property plans to push for ramp installation as soon as KT&G completes the ongoing underpass extension construction. A company official said, "Because the underpass extension construction was delayed, we could not reflect the traffic impact assessment review contents. Once the underpass extension construction is completed, we plan to start the ramp installation construction."

However, it is expected that installing the entrance and exit ramps within the temporary use period will be difficult. Besides the underpass extension construction, another project is scheduled this year. This project is the extension of the Shinbundang Line from Gwanggyo to Homaesil, targeted for completion in 2029, and the extension plan has been confirmed for Hwaseo Station on Line 1, where Starfield Suwon is located. If construction begins, a railway will be built on Suseong-ro, where the underpass extension is underway. Installing entrance and exit ramps on a road with ongoing railway construction is practically impossible, so it is expected to be feasible only after 2029.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.