The 'Jungbong Tunnel Private Investment Project,' a long-awaited project in the northern region of Incheon, has secured economic feasibility, giving momentum to the project’s advancement.
On the 30th, Incheon City announced that the cost-benefit ratio (B/C) of the Jungbong Tunnel Private Investment Project, for which a feasibility study was requested from the Public Investment Management Center (PIMAC) of the Korea Development Institute (KDI) in July last year, was found to be 1.2, confirming its viability. A B/C value of 1.0 or higher is considered to indicate project feasibility.
Jungbong Tunnel is a leading project of the city’s core 'Northern Region Comprehensive Development Plan.' It is a 4.57 km-long, four-lane (two lanes each way) road exclusively for vehicles, connecting Gyeongseo Samgeori in Gyeongseo-dong, Seo-gu to Geomdan 2 Intersection in Wanggil-dong. It will be constructed as a deep tunnel passing under the Gyeongin Ara Waterway and the Seoul Metropolitan Landfill, with a total project cost of 355.1 billion KRW and a construction period of five years.
By connecting the disconnected sections between Gyeongseo-dong and Wanggil-dong in Seo-gu, the project will complete the north-south axis of Incheon’s main arterial road network linking Songdo and Geomdan, reducing travel time from Michuhol-gu’s old downtown to Geomdan in Seo-gu by about 13 minutes. It is also expected to improve traffic conditions on Bongsu-daero and Seogot-ro, where severe congestion frequently occurs.
Additionally, it will provide an alternative route for traffic generated by several industrial complexes, including the Geomdan General Industrial Complex, helping to meet freight demand and reduce logistics costs.
The city plans to proceed with the project aiming for construction to start in 2027, following the finalization of the feasibility study next month, and going through procedures such as strategic environmental impact assessment, third-party proposal announcement for selecting private investors, signing of implementation agreements, and approval of implementation plans.
An official from Incheon City stated, "Jungbong Tunnel will be an essential route not only for the development of the northern region of Incheon, where population growth and development are continuously expanding, but also for directly connecting Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu following the Incheon-type administrative system reform to be implemented in July 2026."
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