[Seoul District News] Gwangjin-gu Improves Access to Neungdong and Reduces Traffic Detours by Installing U-Turn Lane at Gunja Station Intersection, Resolving Traffic Inconvenience & Chronic Traffic Congestion Complaints Raised 13 Years Ago Quickly Solved in 3 Months
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Kyungho) has completed the installation of a U-turn lane from the rear gate of Children’s Grand Park toward Gunja Bridge at the Gunja Station intersection.
Through this, the district resolved the inconvenience of no U-turns between the rear gate of Children’s Grand Park and the Gunja Station intersection, improving convenient access for vehicles from the north side of Yongmasan-ro and the east side of Cheonho-daero to Neungdong, thereby solving a chronic traffic complaint that had lasted 13 years.
"It took 20 minutes by car to reach a place that is a 3-minute walk away!"
On crowded weekends and holidays, and even in May, the month of family when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, residents around Children’s Grand Park continued to voice their complaints.
Requests from residents for the installation of a U-turn lane began in 2009.
The area from the rear gate of Children’s Grand Park toward the Gunja Station intersection is a point with heavy left-turn traffic aiming to enter Children’s Grand Park and Neungdong. However, there was no point on the north side of Cheonho-daero where U-turns were allowed, so when entering Neungdong to the left, vehicles had to pass the Gunja Station intersection and make a P-turn or detour to enter.
When making a P-turn or detour, the vehicle route is extended by more than 300 meters compared to using a U-turn lane, and on weekends and in May when many visitors use Children’s Grand Park, traffic congestion often doubled travel time.
With the launch of the 8th elected administration, the district rolled up its sleeves to actively resolve this long-standing inconvenience for residents.
Last August, to find the optimal solution through communication with residents, a residents’ meeting was held at the Neungdong Community Center, and a close cooperative relationship was established with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which operates Cheonho-daero, and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which oversees traffic facility reviews, accelerating numerous practical consultations.
As a result of these efforts, about three months after the project started, on October 27, the U-turn lane installation was completed, changing the existing left-turn lane into a shared left-turn and U-turn lane, fulfilling the 13-year wish of Neungdong residents.
The district will thoroughly monitor the effects of the U-turn lane installation at the Gunja Station intersection and plans to continuously improve the traffic system by also installing a pedestrian crosswalk between the north and south sides of the Gunja Station intersection, another long-standing resident request.
Kim Kyungho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “Through the district’s active efforts and cooperation with related organizations, we were able to resolve a long-standing complaint with structural improvements alone, without large-scale budgets or lengthy construction periods. We will continue to solve difficult and chronic problems one by one so that residents can feel the changes in the city.”
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