[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province is accelerating the construction of the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway, including the Second Seohae Bridge.
According to the province on the 31st, the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway is planned to be constructed connecting the Seohaean Expressway Songak Junction in Songak-eup, Dangjin City, and the Namgwangmyeong Junction of the Pyeongtaek~Paju Expressway in Gahak-dong, Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province (61.4 km).
The total budget for this project is 3.6 trillion KRW, with the province aiming for completion by 2033.
In particular, the section of the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway passing through Chungnam is 9 km long, of which 6.945 km will be constructed as an undersea tunnel, serving as the function of the Second Seohae Bridge.
The current Seohae Bridge faces serious problems such as frequent fog, saturated traffic volume, and vehicle congestion in case of accidents.
For example, as of 2020, the average daily traffic volume on Seohae Bridge was 89,329 vehicles, and it is understood that it takes 1 to 2 hours to pass through the Seohae Bridge during weekends and peak vacation seasons.
Moreover, Seohae Bridge has a precedent of full vehicle traffic control for 1 day due to a 29-vehicle pile-up accident on October 2006, and for 16 days due to a bridge cable fire in December 2015.
On the other hand, expanding the bridge is practically impossible, making the construction of the Second Seohae Bridge urgent, according to the province.
Based on this, the preliminary feasibility study for the Second Seohae Bridge also explored the construction of the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway.
The core idea is not simply to build the Second Seohae Bridge to replace the current Seohae Bridge, but to newly establish a metropolitan road network connecting the Seoul metropolitan area and the western region of Chungnam.
The study was conducted from March to December 2021, and in January last year, the results were announced, presenting a construction plan for the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway including the Second Seohae Bridge in the form of an undersea tunnel.
At that time, the province sought to promote the project by mixing national fiscal projects and private investment projects, but now considers the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway as the optimal choice for constructing the Second Seohae Bridge.
During the study period, a private company (Hyundai Construction) proposed the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Expressway private investment project including the Second Seohae Bridge to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which is also analyzed to have influenced the province’s decision.
Recently, the government is also showing support for this project. Earlier, in November last year, Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum requested Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, who visited Chungnam Provincial Office, to conduct a feasibility study on the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway.
Subsequently, in the same month, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport requested the Ministry of Economy and Finance to conduct a feasibility study on the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway, accelerating the project’s progress. Currently, the Korea Development Institute (KDI) is conducting the feasibility study on the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway.
The feasibility study is a procedure to secure the economic viability of private investment projects and to decide the implementing entity by comparing public and private investments.
A provincial official said, “The Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway, including the Second Seohae Bridge, will serve as a new metropolitan road network connecting the Seoul metropolitan area and the western region of Chungnam, contributing to the revitalization of industry and tourism in the West Coast region.” He added, “The province will focus its administrative power on passing the feasibility study and early construction of the Dangjin~Gwangmyeong Private Investment Expressway.”
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