Construction Begins on Gwangju Urban Railway Line 2, Sangmu Jungang-ro Section, Starting from the 19th

Lane Change After Removal of Median Barrier in Certain Sections

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Construction work on the Sangmu Jungang-ro section of Gwangju Urban Railway Line 2 is set to begin in earnest.

The Gwangju Metropolitan City Urban Railway Construction Headquarters announced on the 13th that starting from the 19th, road median barrier removal work will commence on the 214m section from the intersection in front of SC First Bank building on Sangmu Jungang-ro to the intersection near Times Square building, marking the start of urban railway construction around City Hall.

Due to the nature of urban railway construction, facilities such as vehicle tracks and stations are installed beneath the road, so it is inevitable to occupy certain sections of the road during construction. However, this project aims to minimize traffic inconvenience in preparation for the full-scale urban railway construction by removing the median barrier to secure lanes and gradually implementing lane changes in the sections where underground excavation will take place.

In the construction section, one lane on each side of the median barrier will be occupied to install safety fences before proceeding with the work, and lane guidance markings on the remaining lanes will be partially changed due to the occupation of one lane.

To this end, the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters has consulted in advance with related agencies such as the Western Police Station and the City Traffic Policy Research Office regarding traffic management plans, and plans to actively promote the project using pre-construction banners, signboards, various traffic safety facilities, and traffic broadcasts.

The 1.38 km section of Sangmu Jungang-ro was initially planned with island-type stations and the route designed close to one side of the road near buildings to facilitate maintenance convenience. However, to improve accessibility and convenience for urban railway users, the stations were changed to side platforms, and the route was shifted toward the lane side accordingly to enhance construction convenience.

The first phase of Urban Railway Line 2 construction covers a total of 17.003 km from Yuchon-dong vehicle depot to behind Gwangju Station. Construction began in September 2019 and currently shows a progress rate of 25% compared to the first phase project budget. The second phase is planned to be ordered in the second half of this year.

Jung Dae-kyung, head of the Gwangju Urban Railway Construction Headquarters, said, “As the first phase of Urban Railway Line 2 construction in the central Sangmu district proceeds in earnest, some congestion may occur, so we ask that people use surrounding detour roads or pay attention to the changed lane markings.” He added, “We will strengthen cooperation with related agencies such as the police to minimize traffic inconvenience.”