Cooperation on Gyeongin Expressway Underground Construction... Ministry of Land, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Sign Agreement

Discussion on the Conversion of Gyeongin Expressway to General Road and the Construction Plan for the Upper Road

Incheon-Seoul Underground Expressway Bird's-eye View [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City signed a business agreement with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gyeonggi Province on the 30th to ensure the smooth progress of the Incheon-Seoul underground expressway (Gyeongin Expressway underground) project.

The signing ceremony was attended by Park Deoksu, Deputy Mayor of Incheon City, Lee Yonguk, Director General of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Lee Hangyu, Deputy Governor for Administration 2 of Gyeonggi Province.

The three organizations agreed to join forces to ensure the smooth progress of the Gyeongin Expressway underground project, which is included in the '2nd Expressway Construction Plan (2021 ~ 2025)' announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in February and is currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility study.

They plan to form a consultative body to discuss converting the upper road of the Gyeongin Expressway into a general road dedicated to city traffic and creating green spaces and parks in the available areas.

The Gyeongin Expressway underground project involves underground construction of approximately 14.0 km out of the 19.3 km section between Namcheongra IC, Seoincheon IC, and Sinwol IC with 4 to 6 lanes, with a total estimated project cost of about 2.0856 trillion KRW.

If the preliminary feasibility study passes, the project is expected to begin construction as early as the first half of 2027 after going through feasibility evaluation and design procedures.

Once the underground expressway is built, the travel time between Incheon Cheongna District and Yeouido will be reduced from the current 40 minutes to 23 minutes, and it is expected to generate employment effects for about 20,000 people.

The three organizations also agreed to cooperate to ensure the smooth progress of expressway projects between Ansan-Incheon, Gyeyang-Ganghwa, and Gimpo-Paju to efficiently distribute traffic volume within the Incheon-Gyeonggi area.

Park Deoksu, Deputy Mayor of Incheon City, said, "The tripartite consultative body will be the foundation for the successful promotion of the Incheon-Seoul underground expressway project," adding, "It is expected to further smooth traffic flow around the Gyeongin Expressway area and contribute to improving residential conditions."

At the "Incheon-Seoul Underground Expressway Construction Mutual Cooperation Agreement Ceremony" held at Incheon City Hall on the 30th, Lee Han-gyu, Deputy Governor for Administration of Gyeonggi Province, Lee Yong-wook, Director of the Road Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Park Deok-su, Deputy Mayor of Incheon City (from left), are posing for a commemorative photo. [Provided by Incheon City]