Expectations for a 'Unified Living Zone' in Dongtan 1 and 2 New Towns Severed by the Highway

Creation of a Park the Size of 12 Soccer Fields in the Underground Section of Gyeongbu Expressway
Six Road Networks Connecting 1st and 2nd New Towns to Open Sequentially by Year-End

The Gyeongbu Expressway, which had divided Dongtan 1 and 2 New Towns in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, will be connected into a single living zone. This follows the recent completion of the expressway underground construction, and from the end of this month, the upper roads connecting the two areas will be sequentially opened. Additionally, with the creation of a large-scale park above the expressway, changes are expected in the local real estate market.

A Park the Size of 12 Soccer Fields Will Be Created Above the Expressway

A bird's-eye view of the park to be built above the underground section of the Gyeongbu Expressway in Dongtan. It will be developed as a linear park the size of 12 soccer fields. [Image source=Hwaseong-si]

The Gyeongbu Expressway underground project was carried out as part of a straightening project on the 4.7 km curved section between Dongtan Junction and Giheung-Dongtan IC. A tunnel was constructed to underground the 1.2 km section passing through Dongtan New Town, with construction starting in 2017. The Seoul-bound direction opened first in March last year, followed by the Busan-bound direction in March this year.

With the expressway underground, the space above the tunnel is being transformed into a massive park. Construction of the park began in earnest last month. The upper park covers an area of 87,005 square meters, equivalent to 12 soccer fields. This is the first case in Korea where an expressway has been undergrounded and a large-scale park created above it.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun of Hwaseong plans to link this space with the core pledge of the 8th elected term, 'Botanic Garden Hwaseong.' The plan is to connect Yeoul Park, where an exhibition greenhouse will be located, with green corridors and develop it as a landmark park embracing Dongtan Station.

The upper park will be a linear park extending 1.2 km in length and 92 to 105 meters in width. It will be divided into five zones centered around Dongtan Station Plaza, where the metropolitan transfer center is located.

The park will feature Botanic Avenue, themed specialized gardens that reflect the seasons, and distinctive urban forests. There will also be a lawn plaza suitable for large-scale festivals and an observatory offering views of the park.

Six Road Networks Connect the Previously Divided Dongtan 1 and 2 New Towns

Pine forest to be created in the upper park of the underground section of the Gyeongbu Expressway in Dongtan. [Image source=Hwaseong-si]

Between the park areas, six connecting roads will be created to link the previously separated Dongtan 1 and 2 New Towns. These connecting roads are scheduled to open sequentially from this month through the end of the year. In particular, once the roads are established, residents of Dongtan 1 New Town, who previously had to detour nearly 20 minutes by car to reach Dongtan Station, will be able to walk there.

First, by the end of this month, two main arterial roads, No. 1 and No. 6, will open. Road No. 1 connects the southern side of the Dongtan 2 New Town pilot complex with the southern side of Yeoul Park in Dongtan 1 New Town. Road No. 6 connects Chicheon-ro and Woncheon-ro.

Among the remaining four connecting roads scheduled to open in December, Roads No. 2 and No. 5 will help disperse traffic within the Dongtan 2 New Town Metropolitan Business Complex.

Road No. 3 connects the road between the Metropolitan Business Complex and Bando 8th Apartment with the northern side of Lotte Department Store, facilitating movement toward Dongtan Station or Suwon. In the future, a subway station for the Dongtan-Indeokwon Line will also be located along this road section.

Road No. 4 connects the southern road of Daebang Dietre on the currently under-construction Office Complex 2 site with the southern side of Dongtan Station Lotte Castle. Once opened, it will ease movement between Dongtan Station and Dongbu-daero and access to Yeoul Park. Accessibility to Suwon Yeongtong and Yongin Giheung is also expected to improve.

Road No. 5 connects the northern road of Dongtan Station Linstrous with the front of the Dongtan Station Paragon complex, making travel from the pilot complex toward Yeoul Park more convenient.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun of Hwaseong said, "Once the six connecting roads open, infrastructure can be shared, and the city will be able to establish flexible policies through effective administrative operations. We will continue to strive to build transportation infrastructure such as railroads and roads, which form the foundation for balanced regional development, based on citizens' demands."

Following GTX, Parks and Road Networks... Positive Impact on Real Estate Market

The large-scale park and connecting roads between the two new towns are expected to act as positive factors in the real estate market. Recently, the opening of the metropolitan express railway (GTX) Line A has greatly improved access to Seoul, and with the removal of the expressway barrier that divided the two new towns, commercial revitalization and housing prices are expected to be positively affected.

In fact, some housing prices near the expressway have shown movement. For example, an 84㎡ (exclusive area) B-type unit at Cheonggye-dong Dongtan Station Sibeom The Sharp Central City was traded last month for 1.305 billion KRW, despite being on a lower floor. Compared to a 14th-floor unit of the same size that sold for 1.29 billion KRW in September last year, this is a 15 million KRW increase. The actual transaction price of a 54㎡ C-type unit in the mixed-use complex Hillstate Dongtan Station in Yeongcheon-dong also shows an upward trend, rising from 515 million KRW (25th floor) in June to 530 million KRW (35th floor) this month.

A representative from A Real Estate Agency in the area said, "Although it is the off-season and the overall metropolitan area market has not yet shown a full recovery, transactions are not very active, but once the roads open and accessibility between the two new towns improves, transactions are likely to pick up."