Seodaejeon-Hoedeok Junction Six-Lane Expansion Passes Preliminary Feasibility Review

"Honam Expressway Branch Expansion Project"
Bottleneck Relief Expected for the Chungcheong-Honam Corridor
Total Project Cost: 352.2 Billion Won

Photo by Daejeon City

The section between Seodaejeon Junction and Hoedeok Junction (a total of 18.6 kilometers), which has long been a bottleneck connecting the Chungcheong and Honam regions and causing rush hour congestion for commuters in the Sejong and Daejeon metropolitan areas, will be expanded from four lanes to six lanes.

The long-awaited "Honam Expressway Branch Expansion Project" in Daejeon finally passed the preliminary feasibility review at the 10th Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee meeting of the Ministry of Economy and Finance on October 31.

This project involves a total investment of 352.2 billion won to expand the Honam Expressway Branch section from Seodaejeon Junction to Hoedeok Junction (18.6 kilometers in total) from four lanes to six lanes. The project period is planned to be approximately eight years.

The Daejeon city government and local political leaders have consistently highlighted this section as a "bottleneck connecting the Chungcheong and Honam regions," emphasizing the need for expansion and actively cooperating with Korea Expressway Corporation to ensure the project passed the preliminary feasibility review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

With the passage of this preliminary feasibility study, Korea Expressway Corporation will begin full-scale procedures such as feasibility studies, basic and detailed design starting in the first half of 2026. Daejeon City plans to actively cooperate from the design stage by analyzing congestion and high-risk areas to ensure that the new design improves both commuter traffic and logistics flows.

The expected improvements in traffic after the opening are predicted to exceed expectations. First, as the road capacity in the chronically congested section increases, rush hour congestion in the Sejong and Daejeon metropolitan areas is expected to ease. In terms of logistics, the average speed of freight movement between the Honam and Chungcheong regions will improve, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the broader economic zone.

In particular, it is expected to serve as a key infrastructure rapidly connecting people and logistics, in line with the Chungcheong Mega City initiative.

Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, stated, "We have now moved from the stage of proving the necessity to the stage of realization. We will work closely with Korea Expressway Corporation to expedite the procedures so that citizens can experience the effects of congestion relief as soon as possible."