Gwangju City Council Member Jo Yeran Urges Improvements in Management of Road Construction Obstacles and Long-Term Unexecuted Urban Planning Roads

by Lee jonggu

Published 10 Sep.2025 13:39(KST)

Jo Yeran, Chair of the Urban Environment Committee of the Gwangju City Council in Gyeonggi Province (People Power Party), urged improvements by questioning Mayor Bang Sehwan during the 319th temporary session of the plenary meeting. She addressed the recurring issue of obstacles during road construction projects and called for effective measures to advance long-term unexecuted urban planning roads.

Jo Yeran, Gwangju City Council Member. Provided by Gyeonggi Gwangju City Council

Chairperson Jo pointed out that projects such as the construction of City Road No. 21, the Medium Road No. 1-14 between Yeokdong and Yangbeol, and the Samri-Doong road construction have all experienced increased costs and delays due to the relocation of utility poles. In particular, she noted that the road construction between Jangji and Maesan was delayed for over a year because of utility pole issues, and that a utility pole installed in the middle of the sidewalk at the KD Garage in Gosan-dong is infringing on pedestrian rights.

She diagnosed the root cause of these problems as the lack of systematic management over the installation of such obstacles. She continued, "There are many utility and communication poles throughout our city, but it is unclear whether permit procedures are being followed, whether they comply with urban planning, and how usage fees are being imposed," stressing, "A comprehensive survey is needed to clearly identify the current situation, and facilities that infringe on pedestrian rights must be promptly improved."

Chairperson Jo also specifically asked the mayor, "What is the current status of increased project costs and delays caused by obstacles in ongoing road construction projects? What are the plans for establishing a comprehensive management system to prevent and manage these issues? And what are the improvement measures for existing obstacles that infringe on citizens' pedestrian rights?"

She continued by raising questions about the issue of long-term unexecuted urban planning roads. She pointed out, "There are about 817 unexecuted urban planning roads in Gwangju, and even the first phase alone requires 100 billion won in construction costs. For the 355 sites in phases two and three, 460 billion won is needed for compensation and over 120 billion won for construction, yet the financial outlook remains uncertain."

In particular, she cited the case of the Medium Road No. 2-24 between Gosan Byeolbit Elementary School and the KD Garage, as well as Cheongseok-ro, stating, "Although traffic demand is high and urgency is great, the projects are stuck in the planning stage and actual commencement is uncertain." On the other hand, she noted that improvements to National Road No. 57, which she had proposed as a free speech item during the 304th temporary session, were completed swiftly and received a positive response from residents. She emphasized that short-term measures that citizens can feel should also be pursued in parallel.

Chairperson Jo stressed, "It is necessary to review whether the current phase classification of urban planning roads properly reflects the changed traffic demand," adding, "In particular, urgent sections such as the KD Garage should be prioritized by adjusting their phase." She further requested, "Please also provide concrete measures to more effectively advance long-term unexecuted roads within the constraints of limited financial resources," urging for improvements.