"Commute Time Increased by 1 Hour"... Soundproof Tunnel Closed for a Month

Traffic Restriction at Fire Site Causes Ongoing Citizen Inconvenience
7.2km Section from Bukuiwang IC to Sammak IC Still Closed
Severe Traffic Congestion as Vehicles Divert Through Anyang Detour

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] It has been a month since the fire occurred in the soundproof tunnel on the 2nd Gyeongin Expressway in Galhyeon-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, but traffic is still restricted in the section between Bukuiwang IC and Sammak IC where the fire broke out, causing ongoing inconvenience to citizens. As more vehicles seek detours due to road closures, severe traffic congestion has been reported on nearby roads.

The police, who investigated the soundproof tunnel fire that occurred on December 29 last year, completed the on-site investigation on the morning of the 19th and handed over the case to Jay Gyeongin Expressway Co., Ltd. (Jay Gyeongin), the expressway management entity. Earlier, the police had controlled and investigated the 21.9 km section from Bukuiwang IC to Seoksu IC immediately after the fire.

Among the controlled sections, the 13.7 km section from Bukuiwang IC to Yeosu-daero IC and the 1 km section from Sammak IC to Seoksu IC, which were not directly related to the investigation, were reopened earlier this month. However, the 7.2 km section from Bukuiwang IC to Sammak IC, which includes the fire site, remains restricted. According to Naver Traffic Information, both directions of the Bukuiwang IC to Sammak IC section are scheduled to be closed until 11 a.m. on the 3rd of next month.

A fire occurred on the 29th in the soundproof tunnel section near Bukuiwang IC on the Second Gyeongin Expressway in Gwacheon, leaving only the framework of the soundproof tunnel remaining. / Gwacheon - Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

However, it is unclear when traffic will resume. Jay Gyeongin began restoration work on the site by moving the burnt vehicles outside on the 26th, just a week after receiving the site from the police.

But aside from towing the vehicles, no other restoration work such as tunnel repairs appears to have been carried out. A Jay Gyeongin official stated, "We have towed the vehicles damaged by the fire, but no further schedule has been set. We cannot say for sure when the road will reopen."

With the road closed for over a month, the inconvenience to citizens who regularly use this section has increased. As more vehicles try to detour via other routes, severe traffic congestion has been reported near Bukuiwang IC, especially around the Indeogwon intersection in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, and surrounding roads.

A commuter, Mr. A, who travels from Anyang to Seongnam, said, "Originally, the commute took 35 minutes at the fastest and up to 50 minutes at the longest, but now it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes after work, and sometimes up to 2 hours." He added, "I have to leave my 25-month-old baby at a daycare near my workplace, so commuting together has become very inconvenient."

Mr. A also said, "When I exit Bukuiwang IC and pass in front of Poil Elementary School, it gets extremely congested. At first, not knowing this, I went that way and was stuck for several tens of minutes on a short 200-meter section. Now I avoid that road, but it still takes 1 hour and 30 minutes."

The tunnel near the Bukuiwang IC section of the Second Gyeongin Expressway in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, which caught fire on December 29 last year, remains with only its framework intact. / Gwacheon - Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Another Anyang resident, Mr. Kang (30), said, "Cars heading to Bundang and Seongnam are all detouring through Anyang because the expressway is blocked, so that area is extremely congested." He added, "I remember the inconvenience of taking an hour to pass a section that usually takes 10 minutes."

Meanwhile, the soundproof tunnel fire on the 2nd Gyeongin Expressway occurred on December 29 last year. A fire broke out in a 5-ton waste transport truck traveling inside the soundproof tunnel in the Seongnam direction, which then spread to the tunnel. The fire burned 600 meters of the total 830-meter-long soundproof tunnel.

The use of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) material, which is vulnerable to fire, as tunnel panels has been identified as a cause that increased the scale of the damage. The fire resulted in 5 deaths and 41 injuries.