Yongin City Proposes "New IC on National Route 45 for 2nd Yeongdong Connection Expressway"

Submission of Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment Opinions to the Ministry of Land
"Direct Connections to Major Roads Needed to Improve Accessibility"

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province has requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to establish an interchange (IC) for access to National Route 45 on the section passing through Yongin of the 'Second Yeongdong Expressway Connection Private Investment Expressway' that connects Uiwang and Gwangju.

Route map of the private expressway connected to the 2nd Yeongdong Expressway. Provided by Yongin City

On the 9th, Yongin City announced that it submitted review comments on the draft of the 'Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment for the Second Yeongdong Connection Expressway Private Investment Project,' including this request, to the Ministry of Land on the 8th.

This project involves connecting 32 km from the Bukcheonggye Junction of the Second Gyeongin Expressway through Mohyeon-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin, to the Gyeonggi Gwangju Junction of the Second Yeongdong Expressway with a four-lane road in both directions. The goal is to directly link the Second Gyeongin Expressway and the Second Yeongdong Expressway, which are currently connected by national roads, with an expressway.

Earlier, the Ministry of Land completed a private investment feasibility study for this expressway and conducted a public review of the draft strategic environmental impact assessment and climate change impact assessment.

The city included opinions from residents in the areas the expressway passes through and matters to be supplemented during construction in its submission. The review comments submitted by the city included ▲ sufficient separation from residential areas to prevent noise and dust damage ▲ improved accessibility through direct connections to major arterial roads such as national roads, national local roads, and provincial roads ▲ inclusion of a new IC for National Route 45 ▲ minimizing regional division and preventing landscape damage ▲ ensuring learning rights by securing sufficient distance from schools.

The Ministry of Land plans to complete consultations on the strategic environmental impact assessment within this year and begin construction of the expressway in the first half of 2029. Once construction is completed, it is expected that travel time will be reduced by about 29 minutes compared to using the existing Yeongdong Expressway, as the route will directly connect Incheon Airport to Gangneung via expressway without passing through national roads.

In particular, Yongin City expects that once this expressway opens, accessibility to major expressway networks such as the Second Gyeongin, Metropolitan Area First Ring, Yongin-Seoul, Gyeongbu, Sejong-Pocheon, Jungbu, and Second Yeongdong will improve, enhancing transportation convenience for citizens.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin City, said, "To enhance the completeness of the project and prevent issues such as noise and dust that may occur during construction, we conveyed opinions to the Ministry of Land based on the views of local residents," adding, "We will work closely with the government to ensure that the opinions of residents in the project area are reflected."