Seobu Inland Expressway Buyeo to Pyeongtaek Section to Open on the 10th

Opening Ceremony Held at Yedang Lake Rest Area in Chungnam... Improved Accessibility to Seoul Metropolitan Area Expected

Chungnam Provincial Government Building Exterior

The Seobu Inland Expressway, with a total project cost of 3.2688 trillion won, has opened to traffic five years after construction began.

Chungnam Province announced on the 9th that it held an opening ceremony for the Seobu Inland Expressway at the Yedang Lake Service Area in Yesan.

The newly opened section covers a total length of 94 km for the first phase, stretching from Buyeo Interchange in Buyeo-eup, Buyeo-gun to Poseung Junction and Anjung Interchange in Poseung-eup and Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do. General vehicle traffic will be permitted from noon on the 10th.

There are four junctions: Buyeo, Yesan, Pyeongtaek Hyeondeok, and Poseung. The eight interchanges are Buyeo Guryong, Cheongyang, Yesan Yedang Lake Hi-Pass, Yesan Chusa House, Yeongin, Pyeongtaek Service Area Hi-Pass, Poseung, and Anjung.

The Asan Junction, which will connect to the Dangjin-Cheonan Expressway, is scheduled to open in December 2026, and the additional Sincheong Interchange currently under construction will be available from December 2027.

The province expects that the opening of the Seobu Inland Expressway will help disperse the heavy traffic currently concentrated on the Gyeongbu Expressway, Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway, and Seohaean Expressway.

In addition, it is anticipated that the chronic congestion on the Seohae Bridge will be alleviated, and connectivity to the north with Pyeongtaek-Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek-Jecheon, and Pyeongtaek-Siheung Expressways will greatly improve Chungnam's accessibility to the Seoul metropolitan area.

Furthermore, as it connects with the Seohaean, Dangjin-Yeongdeok, and Seocheon-Gongju Expressways, the convenience of travel within the province will be enhanced, and regions such as Asan, Yesan, Pyeongtaek Bay Valley, and the inland areas of Chungnam are expected to see development.

Additionally, once the 43.4 km second phase from Buyeo to Iksan, planned for construction from 2029 to 2034, is completed and opened, it will link with the Honam and Iksan-Jangsu Expressways, further reducing travel time to the Honam region.

The Seobu Inland Expressway was included in 2008 as part of the 30 leading projects for metropolitan economic development, specifically as the Chungcheong region's metropolitan transportation network (Second Seohaean, Pyeongtaek-Hongseong).

After a preliminary feasibility study in 2009, the necessity for a metropolitan transportation network along the inland axis of Chungnam was recognized due to the province's proposal. The plan was changed to 'Pyeongtaek-Buyeo' in the second basic road maintenance plan, and in 2013, it was designated as a project exempt from the preliminary feasibility study.

In 2014, POSCO proposed the construction of a 139.2 km expressway from Pyeongtaek to Buyeo to Iksan as a private investment project, and this first phase has now opened to traffic five years after construction began in 2019.