'Seoul Oegwak Sunhwan Expressway'? From September, 'Sudogwon Je1 Sunhwan Expressway'

Starting this September, the 'Seoul Ring Expressway' will be renamed as the 'Capital Region 1st Circular Expressway'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Starting this September, the 'Seoul Outer Ring Expressway' will be renamed the 'Capital Region 1st Circular Expressway.'

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 1st that from September 1st, the name of Expressway No. 100, Seoul Outer Ring Expressway, will be changed to Capital Region 1st Circular Expressway. This expressway, with a total length of 128 km, connects areas such as Pangyo, Songpa, Hanam, Guri, Songchu, Ilsan, Gyeyang, Siheung, and Pyeongchon, encircling Seoul and linking the metropolitan area in a ring shape.

It was a pledge made by Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung during his candidacy in March 2018, stating, "If I become governor, I will first change the name of the Seoul Outer Ring Expressway." However, changing the name of the expressway faced difficulties because it required the consent of all metropolitan and local governments along the route. About 12 km, approximately 9% of the section, passes through Songpa, Gangdong, and Nowon districts in Seoul, and the Seoul city government opposed the change, citing "confusion for users."

However, in June last year, Seoul city and three districts expressed their agreement to the name revision, accelerating the renaming process. Gyeonggi Province officially requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to change the name in the same month. Accordingly, the Ministry finalized the name change after consultations with related agencies and review by the Road Policy Deliberation Committee composed of experts from various road sectors. They explained that "the route system with the currently under-construction 'Capital Region 2nd Circular Expressway' was also taken into account."

Thus, Expressway No. 100, which was designated as the 'Pangyo-Guri Expressway' in 1988 and extended to Toegyewon in 1991, being named the Seoul Outer Ring Expressway, will have its name changed again after about 30 years.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to strengthen promotional activities to prevent driver confusion, including displaying information on Variable Message Signs (VMS), posting banners, broadcasting traffic announcements, and updating the changed route name on navigation systems, in cooperation with Seoul city, Incheon city, Gyeonggi Province, Korea Expressway Corporation, and other road management authorities. The replacement and maintenance of signs will be carried out over three months from this month until August, and after final on-site inspections, only the new route name, Capital Region 1st Circular Expressway, will be used starting in September.

Joo Hyun-jong, Director of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "During the three months from June to August when the sign replacement work is underway, both Seoul Outer Ring Expressway and Capital Region 1st Circular Expressway names will be used concurrently, so drivers need to be especially cautious."