Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to Create Park by Undergrounding Gyeongbu Expressway

Seoul City is considering a plan to create a linear park stretching up to 7 km in the upper space made available by the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway.

The city announced on the 2nd that it has started a project to prepare utilization plans for the upper space resulting from the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway.

Through this project, the city plans to develop a plan to create a linear park tentatively named 'Seoul Linear-Park' spanning up to 7 km between Yangjae and Hannam sections of the Gyeongbu Expressway.

The city expects that "the linear park will become a resting place that breathes new life into the Gangnam downtown area, which has lacked green spaces due to rapid development since the 1970s."

The undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway and the park development of the upper space are key projects of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

Following last year's review of the functional enhancement of the Gyeongbu Expressway and the preparation of an undergrounding plan, this year the city plans to start construction of the underground road between Yangjae and Banpo in 2026 after feasibility studies by the Korea Local Administration Research Institute (LIMAC) and Seoul City investment reviews.

This project will also explore plans to create an eco-friendly complex cultural space in the upper space made available by the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway.

Additionally, the project will examine plans to develop large available sites such as Seocho IC (83,000㎡) and Yangjae IC (73,000㎡) into future hub spaces with global competitiveness, as well as planned linkage with surrounding development sites like the Lotte Chilsung site.

The city anticipates that the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway will enable urban spatial reorganization by connecting the east and west areas of downtown Gangnam, which have been separated for 50 years since the road opened in 1970.

Mayor Oh said, "Green spaces, like the lungs of the city, are essential for citizens' healthy and prosperous lives. We will fully collect citizens' opinions and ideas and actively review them to create a world-class landmark."