Proposals Include Access Road Expansion, New Juksan IC, and Early Opening of Yeongsangang Riverside Road
Assemblyman Na Kwangguk of Jeonnam Province proposed a '3-step roadmap' to resolve congestion at Namak IC. Provided by Assemblyman Na Kwangguk's office
A forum has been established to address the long-standing wish of residents in the Naman Oryong New Town area to resolve the traffic congestion near Naman IC.
On December 12, Assemblyman Kwangguk Na of Jeollanam-do (Muan 2, Democratic Party of Korea) held a meeting in a small conference room at the Jeollanam-do Provincial Council, where he discussed practical solutions to the traffic congestion at Naman IC with relevant agencies, including Muan County, Jeollanam-do, and the Jeonnam Development Corporation.
Assemblyman Na personally brought all relevant agencies together to find a solution, aiming to break the deadlock that had persisted despite repeated civil complaints and a lack of progress.
In his opening remarks, Assemblyman Na stated, "Although Naman Oryong New Town is administratively classified as a township, it is in fact a city with a population exceeding 50,000. With thousands of vehicles converging on Naman IC during rush hour, temporary measures are no longer sustainable."
During the meeting, Assemblyman Na proposed three key transportation solutions: the expansion of the Naman IC access road, the construction of a new Juksan IC, and the early opening of the Yeongsangang Riverside Road.
As a short-term measure, Muan County plans to complete the expansion of the Naman IC access road (from Oryong District toward Yeongam) by the end of this year or early next year. For the mid- to long-term, Assemblyman Na suggested starting construction of the new Juksan IC, which will connect to National Road No. 2, in 2027 and opening it in 2028. The Juksan IC project, which will connect two roads in the Juksan-ri area of Illo-eup, is estimated to cost approximately 13 billion won.
Particular attention was drawn to Assemblyman Na's proposal to "adjust the construction sequence" regarding the Yeongsangang Riverside Road project.
Jeollanam-do had originally planned to build the road from Gujeong-ri in Illo-eup toward Mangwol-ri, but Assemblyman Na officially proposed reversing the direction, constructing from Mangwol-ri toward Gujeong-ri. This strategy aims to expedite the connection between Oryong District and Cheongho IC, thereby dispersing traffic at Naman IC earlier.
Jeollanam-do accepted this proposal and decided to change the construction sequence. This is seen as an example of flexibly adjusting administrative plans to reflect on-site conditions.
Assemblyman Na emphasized, "Once residents move into the Oryong 2 District apartments next year, traffic volume will increase significantly. Given the clear limitations of the current road network, Jeollanam-do must make a decisive move for the early opening of the Yeongsangang Riverside Road."
He added, "This meeting was not about shifting responsibility, but about diagnosing the reality and securing commitments for action. I will personally ensure that the solutions proposed today are implemented without delay, for the residents who have wasted time on the roads every day during their commutes."
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