Fully Opened 35 Years After Initial Planning
Organic Connection Between Daegu Large-Scale Industrial Complex and Gyeongbuk Industrial Complex
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The Daegu Outer Ring Road will be fully opened from noon on the 31st.
Gyeongbuk Province held an opening ceremony for the Daegu Outer Line section of Expressway No. 700 on the 30th, 35 years after the first plan was established in 1987. About 100 people, including Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin, and local residents, attended the event.
The newly opened section is a 4-lane highway with a total length of 32.5 km, excluding the currently operating 29.1 km, covering the Seongseo~Eumnae and Seobyeon~Ansim sections. With a total project cost of 1.571 trillion KRW, construction began in 2014 and came to fruition after 8 years.
Entry and exit facilities include 2 junctions (Chilgok, Sangmae) and 8 interchanges (Jicheon, Dongmyeongdongho, Dalseo, Dasa, Bukdasa, Seobyeon, Pagunjae, Dunsan).
The major intersecting roads are the Gyeongbu Expressway, Jungang Expressway, National Route No. 5, and National Route No. 30. National Route No. 5 connects Gunwi to the north and Changnyeong to the south and links at the Dongmyeongdongho junction, while National Route No. 30 connects Naedang-dong in Daegu’s Seo-gu to Seongju and then to Buan in Jeonbuk, linking at the Dasa interchange.
The Gyeongbu Expressway connects at Chilgok Interchange and Sangmae Junction, and the Jungang Expressway connects at Dongmyeongdongho Junction and Sangmae Junction respectively.
The opening of this new section will alleviate traffic congestion entering the city center from the outer areas of Daegu and facilitate smooth logistics transport and cost reduction between Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, centered on eight radial axes (Yeongcheon, Cheongtong, Masan, Andong, Gyeongsan, Cheongdo, Seongju, Waegwan).
Additionally, large industrial complexes in Daegu such as Daegu National Industrial Complex, Technopolis, and Seongseo Industrial Complex, along with industrial complexes in Gyeongbuk including Yeongcheon, Gyeongsan, and Chilgok, will be organically connected, greatly contributing to exchanges within the Daegu-Gyeongbuk metropolitan area and revitalizing the regional economy.
In particular, the symbiotic development between Daegu, which has strengths in service, education, and cultural infrastructure, and Gyeongbuk, which excels in IT, manufacturing, and tourism, is expected to maximize ripple effects across all sectors including industry, logistics, culture, and tourism.
Above all, since the Daegu Outer Ring Road connects to all expressways passing through Daegu and Gyeongbuk, accessibility to the integrated new airport for the southern Daegu area and nearby Gyeongbuk cities and counties will also improve.
To enhance accessibility to the integrated new airport for Daegu and nearby cities and counties, Gyeongbuk Province reflected six districts including the Seongju~Daegu highway and expansion of the Jungang Expressway (Eumnae JC~Gunwi JC) in the 2nd expressway construction plan last year, and incorporated the Daegu-Gyeongbuk metropolitan railway into the 4th national railway network plan.
Among these, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk metropolitan railway (Seodaegu~New Airport~Uiseong) was selected as a leading project for non-capital area metropolitan railways, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is conducting a preliminary feasibility study.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk said, “With the complete opening of the Daegu Outer Ring Expressway, a foundation has been laid for the economic leap of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. We will accelerate the promotion of the Seongju~Daegu highway, Daegu-Gyeongbuk metropolitan railway, and other metropolitan transportation networks to establish the foundation for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk mega city.”
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