43.3km Road Upgraded to National Highway Status...
Momentum Expected for the Iwon-Daesan Sea Bridge Project Under Preliminary Feasibility Study
Four-Lane Expansion to Be Fully Funded by the Central Government...
Accelerating Regional Economic Vitalization and West Coast Tourism Belt Development
National Route 38, which connects Taean and Seosan in South Chungcheong Province, will be extended by more than 40 kilometers, and there is now a positive outlook for the construction of a sea bridge that will connect the previously disconnected Garorim Bay.
On July 9, the South Chungcheong Provincial Government announced that the 43.3-kilometer section of Local Road 603 and Local Route 96, stretching from Sinjindo-ri in Geunheung-myeon to Naeri in Iwon-myeon, Taean County, has been upgraded to National Route 38.
The upgraded section consists of the following: ▲ Sinjindo-ri to Jangsan-ri, 16 kilometers (two lanes); ▲ Jangsan-ri to Sakseon-ri, 2 kilometers (four lanes); ▲ Sakseon-ri to Bangye-ri, 6.1 kilometers (currently being expanded); ▲ Bangye-ri to Naeri, 19.2 kilometers (two lanes).
Since June 2021, after the 5.6-kilometer Iwon to Daesan section was designated as National Route 38, the provincial government has continuously requested the upgrade of the remaining unconnected sections to national highway status.
With the upgrade to national highway status, it is now possible to use national funds, and the entire budget of approximately 700 billion KRW required for the four-lane expansion of this section will be covered by the central government.
In addition, annual maintenance costs of about 3 billion KRW will be saved, significantly reducing the financial burden on the local government.
It is also expected to boost the "Iwon?Daesan National Route Construction Project," for which a preliminary feasibility study is currently underway.
This large-scale project aims to connect the 5.3-kilometer section between Mandae Port in Iwon-myeon, Taean County, and Dokgot-ri in Daesan-eup, Seosan City, with a sea bridge at a cost of 264.7 billion KRW.
Once the project is completed, the vehicle travel distance will be drastically reduced from 70 kilometers to 2.5 kilometers, and the travel time will be shortened from approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes to around 3 minutes.
Through this project, the province plans to complete the West Coast National Coastal Tourism Road Network (Seocheon Mudflat?Boryeong Undersea Tunnel?Wonsando?Anmyeondo?Garorim Bay?Daesan?Dangjin Expressway), and accelerate the creation of an international marine leisure tourism belt and a marine ecological park.
Choi Dongseok, Director of the Provincial Construction and Transportation Bureau, stated, "With this upgrade, we have secured the final link to connect National Route 77, which was designated in 2001." He added, "We will make every effort to pass the preliminary feasibility study, and at the same time, pursue various strategies to ensure the four-lane expansion is included in national plans."
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