The government will significantly improve the outdated transportation infrastructure in the Gyeongbuk region through highway and national road expansion projects. These include the Seongju~Daegu Expressway, the Ulsan~Gyeongju national road expansion, and the construction of the Yeongilman Bridge.
On the morning of the 20th, at Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, the 26th Public Livelihood Forum was held under the theme "Northeast Asia Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Hub, Gyeongbuk." It has been about three months since the last public livelihood forum was held in the provinces, which took place in Chungbuk in March. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who presided over the forum, announced the highway and national road expansion projects, stating, "Based on the strength that led to the achievements of national modernization, the government will actively support Gyeongbuk to make a greater leap forward and open a successful era of local autonomy."
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to cooperate with Gyeongbuk Province and related local governments to ensure that the Seongju~Daegu Expressway project passes the preliminary feasibility study (hereinafter referred to as the pre-feasibility study). This project involves constructing a new 4-lane road (18.8 km) connecting Seongju-eup, Seongju-gun, and Jicheon-myeon, Chilgok-gun, with a total project cost of approximately 954.2 billion KRW. It was included in the 2nd Expressway Construction Plan (2021?2025) and began the pre-feasibility study at the end of 2022.
Upon project implementation, improvements are expected in expressway accessibility for Seongju-gun, the formation of the national road network’s east-west axis 3 due to the future connection of the Muju~Seongju Expressway, and strengthened connectivity between the Yeongnam and Honam regions.
The Ulsan~Gyeongju national road expansion project (from 4 lanes to 6 lanes), with a total project cost of about 32.2 billion KRW, will be included in the 6th National and Local Road Construction Plan (2026?2030). Road construction projects are promoted by establishing the 10-year National Road Network Comprehensive Plan and the 5-year Expressway Construction Plan and National and Local Road Construction Plans. Therefore, the traffic congestion relief effects of this project will be carefully analyzed and included in the 6th National and Local Road Construction Plan, scheduled to be announced at the end of next year.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "The only national road connecting the downtown areas of Gyeongju and Ulsan experiences frequent congestion due to heavy traffic volume. Expanding it to 6 lanes will alleviate congestion and improve residents’ mobility convenience."
The Yeongilman Bridge (crossing expressway) construction project is also accelerating. The Yeongilman section (Donghae-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang City to Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu) is part of the Pohang~Yeongdeok Expressway project, which began as one of the 30 leading projects for regional economic development announced in 2008. It involves constructing a new 4-lane road with a total project cost of approximately 3.3689 trillion KRW. Currently, the Korea Development Institute (KDI) is reviewing the appropriateness of the project plan.
The official added, "We will cooperate with related organizations such as KDI and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to ensure smooth project progress. After opening, it is expected to contribute to revitalizing the regional industry through rapid logistics movement by linking the Pohang National Industrial Complex, Yeongilman New Port, and its hinterland."
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