Travel Time Reduced by 35 Minutes, Accessibility and Efficiency Improved
Strengthening Space Industry Competitiveness and Boosting the Local Economy
Goheung County in South Jeolla Province (Governor Gong Youngmin) announced on August 21 that the expansion project of National Road No. 15 from Goheung to Bongrae, which will widen the road to four lanes over a total length of 31.7 km at a cost of 652.1 billion KRW, passed the preliminary feasibility study at the 8th Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance on August 20.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance commissioned the Korea Development Institute (KDI) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the project in terms of economic feasibility, policy relevance, and regional balanced development. As a result, the ministry concluded that the project is sufficiently viable to proceed.
On the 20th, the 8th Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance approved the preliminary feasibility study for the expansion project of National Road No. 15 from Goheung to Bongrae into a four-lane road. Provided by Goheung County
Currently, the Goheung to Bongrae section of National Road No. 15 is a winding two-lane road, which poses significant challenges for transporting large equipment and launch vehicle structures.
In particular, considering the increasing logistics demand from the private launch site under construction near the Naro Space Center (scheduled for completion in 2026) and the national industrial complex for space launch vehicles (scheduled for completion in 2030), the expansion to four lanes has emerged as an urgent and pressing issue that can no longer be delayed.
To address these issues, the county actively appealed to the government and the National Assembly for the necessity of the project and worked closely with South Jeolla Province and related agencies. As a result, the project was selected for a preliminary feasibility study on January 23, and after about seven months of effort, the county succeeded in passing the review.
Once the Goheung to Bongrae section of National Road No. 15 is expanded to four lanes, logistics and vehicle flow along the 31.7 km stretch between Goheung-eup and the Naro Space Center are expected to become much smoother, with travel time reduced from the current 50 minutes to 15 minutes. This will greatly improve accessibility and efficiency, and is anticipated to not only revitalize the local economy but also significantly strengthen South Korea's space industry competitiveness.
Governor Gong Youngmin stated, "We, together with our 60,000 residents and over 700,000 people from Goheung living elsewhere, wholeheartedly welcome the confirmation of the preliminary feasibility study approval for the Goheung to Bongrae four-lane expansion project." He added, "The implementation of this project represents the greatest achievement for Goheung's development, and I deeply thank the government, South Jeolla Province, and all those involved for their efforts in passing the preliminary feasibility study."
He continued, "Goheung County will continue to diligently pursue its three major future strategic industries-space, drones, and smart farming-without setbacks, and, together with our residents, we will do our utmost to realize the vision of reaching a population of 100,000 by 2030, establishing Goheung as the center of South Korea's space industry."
Meanwhile, the Goheung to Bongrae National Road No. 15 four-lane expansion project is scheduled to begin detailed design work in 2026 and be completed in 2030.
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