Chronic Congestion on Tongil-ro: New U-Turn Likely at Hongje-dong Muakjae Station Toward City Center?

Seoul City Councilor Mun Seong-ho's Proposal 'Tongillo Signal System Improvement Plan (Draft)' Reflected and Conducted as Seoul City Commissioned Task
Seoul City Traffic Office's Proposal for New U-turn toward Downtown at Muakjae Station Submitted to Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Traffic Safety Review, Expected to be Presented by Late September

A U-turn signal is expected to be newly installed in the Hongje-dong section of Tongil-ro in Seodaemun-gu, which suffers from chronic congestion due to high traffic density.

This achievement comes as Seoul City conducted a commissioned project to improve traffic flow on Tongil-ro based on the 'Tongil-ro Signal System Improvement Plan (Draft)' proposed by Seoul City Councilor Moon Seong-ho.

Moon Seong-ho, Seoul City Councilor (People Power Party, Seodaemun 2), proposed the 'Tongil-ro Signal System Improvement Plan (Draft)' to the Seoul City Transportation Office (Director Yoon Jong-jang) in November last year. Tongil-ro is a chronically congested section due to high traffic density, causing serious inconvenience to residents and vehicle users near Seodaemun-gu.

Councilor Moon requested Seoul City to review the installation of new signals at six locations, including U-turns towards the city center at Muakjae Station, Hongje Samgeori, and Ansan Elementary School, while holding meetings with officials from the Seoul City Transportation Office. Seoul City promised a detailed review, stating that efforts to improve the signal system are necessary to alleviate congestion on Tongil-ro.

Seoul City judged that three of the six locations proposed by Councilor Moon are realistically feasible and included the 'Signal System Improvement for Tongil-ro' as a task in the '2024 Basic and Detailed Design Project for Central Bus Lane Flow Improvement,' which began in January this year.

Last month, Seoul City concluded from the project results that installing a U-turn signal towards the city center at Muakjae Station (intersection in front of Muakjae Hanwha Apartment) is appropriate. Currently, this proposal has been submitted to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Traffic Safety Review Committee.

Additionally, on the 5th, Councilor Moon held a 'Tongil-ro Signal System Improvement Status Report Meeting' in Seodaemun-gu. More than 50 residents of Seodaemun-gu, along with Kang Min-ha, a Seodaemun-gu council member, and Lee Jin-sam, chairman of the Seodaemun District Council's Finance and Construction Committee, attended the meeting to share the progress of the Tongil-ro signal system improvement and listen to related questions and complaints.

Based on the residents' opinions shared during the meeting, Councilor Moon urged Director Yoon Jong-jang of the Transportation Office during the traffic report to the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Transportation Committee on the 9th to expedite the approval of the U-turn signal installation towards the city center at Muakjae Station (intersection in front of Muakjae Hanwha Apartment), which was requested to the Police Traffic Safety Review Committee.

He also requested a re-examination of signal changes for areas urgently needing them due to increasing residents and traffic volume, such as Ansan Elementary School (U-turn towards the city center), Muak Cheonggu Apartment, and Seodaemun Prugio Central Park, where new apartments are being built in Seodaemun-gu.

Since signal system changes are known to be a challenging task that can affect traffic flow not only locally but throughout Seoul, the push for installing a U-turn signal towards the city center at Muakjae Station on Tongil-ro in Seodaemun-gu is regarded as a remarkable achievement resulting from Councilor Moon's dedicated efforts.

The U-turn signal installation plan at Muakjae Station on Tongil-ro is expected to be submitted to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Traffic Safety Review Committee as early as the end of September. If approved, detailed design and construction will begin within the year.

Councilor Moon Seong-ho said, “I believe that the installation of this U-turn signal is the first step in improving traffic flow on Tongil-ro and creating a comfortable commuting environment for residents. Going forward, reflecting the increasing traffic demand, I will carry out legislative activities as a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Transportation Committee to create a traffic environment that maximizes residents' convenience.”