Among 15 Major Transportation Improvement Measures, Only 1 Completed... 'Lowest Rank' Among 2nd Phase New Towns
Assemblyman Heo Jong-sik: "Need to Narrow Gap Between Move-in Time and Transportation Network Opening"
Since 2021, 27,000 households have moved into Geomdan New Town in Incheon, but the implementation rate of the metropolitan transportation improvement plan is only 7%, the lowest among the second phase new towns in the Seoul metropolitan area.
According to data submitted by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) to Heo Jong-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Incheon Dong-gu·Michuhol-gu Gap), a total of 27,570 households have moved into Geomdan New Town apartments, starting with 7,976 households in 2021, 13,311 households last year, and 6,283 households by the end of September this year, with an occupancy rate of 89.1%. This means 36% of the total planned households (75,848 units) in Geomdan New Town have been occupied.
However, the implementation rate of the metropolitan transportation improvement plan in Geomdan New Town is only 7%, indicating that most transportation-related projects are delayed. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's data on the "Implementation Status of Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plans for Second Phase New Towns in the Seoul Metropolitan Area," only one of the 15 metropolitan transportation improvement projects in Geomdan New Town has been completed?the Seoul Haengju Bridge South End grade separation project (2020).
Compared to Hwaseong Dongtan 2 (implementation rate 52%), Pyeongtaek Godeok (50%), and Wirye (41%), where projects started a year earlier in 2008, the improvement projects in Geomdan New Town are progressing significantly slower. The Ministry of Land plans to sequentially complete the improvement projects, including seven road facilities, five connection facilities, and one railway facility, from next year through 2026.
Delays in building the transportation network are causing inconvenience to early residents, burdens on prospective residents, and increased project costs.
The metropolitan transportation improvement plan for Geomdan New Town was first established in 2009 with a project budget of 2.83 trillion KRW. However, following the cancellation of District 2 in 2013, the plan was revised for the first time in 2017, reducing the budget to 1.155 trillion KRW. Subsequently, due to changes in the implementing agency, route modifications, additional stations, and basic plan revisions, the plan was revised a second time last year, increasing the budget by 306.6 billion KRW compared to the first revision, to 1.4616 trillion KRW.
Earlier, in June 2021, the Ministry of Land announced separate transportation improvement measures for the western second phase new towns, including Gimpo Hangang and Incheon Geomdan, such as ▲extension of Seoul Subway Line 5 to Gimpo and Geomdan ▲extension of Incheon Subway Lines 1 and 2 to Geomdan ▲extension of Incheon Line 2 to Goyang ▲high-speed airport railroad ▲additional trains on the Gimpo Gold Line. However, additional measures have also stalled, with the announcement of the Seoul Line 5 extension route postponed until the end of the year.
Rep. Heo said, "It seems that new town development has focused solely on housing supply rather than on building infrastructure such as transportation networks. Transportation inconvenience not only causes discomfort to residents but also acts as a barrier to population inflow into new towns. Therefore, urgent measures should be prepared to minimize the gap between the occupancy period and the opening of transportation networks."
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