In Front of Gyeonggi Provincial Office, 'Hyowon-ro' Transformed into a Pedestrian-Friendly Space

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The four-lane road in front of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office will be transformed into a pedestrian-friendly space through a "road diet" that reduces the number of lanes and expands the sidewalk.

On the 28th, Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province announced that it will implement the "Resident Vitality Road Creation Project" on a 350m section from the Hyowon-ro roundabout in front of the provincial government building toward the Docheong Intersection.

This project is an urban regeneration initiative (with a budget of 9.9 billion KRW) around the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office promoted by Suwon City ahead of the scheduled relocation of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office to Gwanggyo next year. The focus is on revitalizing the area around the government building, which is undergoing slumification.

The section where the Resident Vitality Road Creation Project will be implemented currently does not function as a four-lane road due to illegally parked vehicles on both sides of the two-lane road, and it is a frequent site of traffic accidents caused by jaywalking and illegal dumping of trash.

Suwon City received requests from residents around the government building through three rounds of resident briefings and surveys to create a safe walking environment and to redesign the street space.

Accordingly, Suwon City plans to reduce the four-lane road to two lanes to expand the sidewalk, install simply designed street lamps on the widened sidewalk, and newly plant Ipop trees as street trees.

Temporary parking spaces will be provided on one side of the road to offer convenience to vehicles visiting nearby stores. Additionally, utility poles and communication poles will be buried underground.

Suwon City expects that upon completion of the project in May next year, it will provide a comfortable walking environment for citizens using the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office, Paldal Mountain cherry blossom trail, Suwon Station, and Haenggung-dong.