Selected for the '2024 Government-Supported Undergrounding Project' by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
Targeting school routes around Munseong Elementary (Siheung-daero), Yeongnam Elementary (Munseong-ro), and Dongil Girls' High (Geumha-ro)
Improving safe walking environment and urban aesthetics through undergrounding overhead lines and removing utility poles and communication poles
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced that it will promote an underground utility project to secure safety on school commuting routes and improve urban aesthetics.
The district was selected for the '2024 Government-Supported Underground Utility Project' contest hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, securing a total of 13.6 billion KRW (3.27 billion KRW national funds, 2.45 billion KRW city funds, and 7.86 billion KRW from KEPCO and telecommunications companies).
The underground utility project involves burying overhead lines (electricity and communication lines) underground and removing utility poles and communication poles on sidewalks.
The project sections are school commuting routes near Munseong Elementary School (both sides of Siheung-daero 446~150-gil 6, total length 0.5 km), Yeongnam Elementary School (both sides of Munseong-ro 52~72, total length 0.7 km), and Dongil Girls' High School (both sides of Geumha-ro 749~793, total length 0.7 km).
These sections connect to roads with four or more lanes and are near several schools, resulting in heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic. However, the presence of utility poles and overhead lines makes passage inconvenient and poses a high risk of safety accidents.
The district will invest a total of 20.8 billion KRW, including 13.6 billion KRW secured from the contest and 7.2 billion KRW from district funds, to bury the tangled overhead lines within the project sections and remove 59 utility poles and 12 communication poles.
In April, the district plans to sign a business agreement with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and various telecommunications companies and hold project briefings for each project section. Construction will begin in October and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The district has completed the underground utility project in the Doksan-ro courthouse complex section. Additionally, once the Jeonghun complex section is completed by June, the 1 km section of Doksan-ro from Siheung 1-dong Post Office to Doksan 4-dong intersection will be transformed into a pleasant, pedestrian-friendly street free of overhead lines and utility poles.
Mr. Kim, a small business owner operating a mobile phone store on Doksan-ro, said, “The signboard and store, which were hard to see due to utility poles, are now clearly visible, and it seems that the pedestrian traffic on Doksan-ro has increased, so I expect sales to rise.” He also requested the continuation of the underground utility project.
Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, stated, “Resident satisfaction with the Doksan-ro underground utility project carried out so far has been high, and there is a demand from residents to continue the project. The school commuting route section to be promoted this time is a major road used by many students and residents, so we expect the project to have a significant effect.”
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