Mayor Kang Fulfilling His Promise?... Gwangju Metro Line 2 Phase 1 Road Opening Rate Reaches 82.5%

Paving Rate Reaches 96%... Full Opening by December 22 Within Sight
16.3 km to Open, Excluding Four Stations and Part of Baegun Square
City: "Clearing to Be Completed by Weekend, Support Measures for Small Businesses to Be Announced"

The road opening rate for Phase 1 of the Gwangju Metro Line 2 has surpassed 80%. The city is accelerating efforts to fulfill its promise to fully open the roads by December 22.

According to the Gwangju City Government on December 18, the overall road opening rate for Sections 1 to 6 of Phase 1 of Metro Line 2 stands at 82.5%. Although the road paving rate has reached 96%, the actual opening rate remains in the low 80% range, as some sections still have construction materials and temporary facilities in place.

Near the construction site of Phase 1, Section 2 of the Gwangju Seo-gu Geumho-dong Urban Railway Line 2 on the morning of the 3rd of last month. Photo by Song Bohyun

By section, Section 1 recorded the highest rates with 100% paving and 99.5% opening. Section 2 reported a paving rate of 97% and an opening rate of 62%. Section 3 had a paving rate of 88% and an opening rate of 76%. Section 4 achieved 100% paving and 67% opening, Section 5 reached 100% paving and 91% opening, and Section 6 recorded 92% paving and 89% opening.

For Section 2, the city plans to complete paving of the 20-30 meter stretch near Geumho Seyeong 1st Complex within the day and begin road clearing the following day. Sections 3 and 6 are also scheduled to finish paving within a day or two, with clearing work to be completed by the weekend.

Due to overlapping underpass construction, the road near Baegun Square was initially excluded from the opening plan. However, the city now plans to pave all remaining sections-excluding areas around the station and the future Phase 3 construction zone-within two weeks. By the end of this weekend, Gwangju City aims to complete paving and clearing, opening 16.3 kilometers of road out of the total 17 kilometers in Phase 1, except for four station areas and a 687-meter stretch near Baegun Square.

The city also expects to finish restoring roads around four stations-Geumho District entrance, Geumho Seyeong 1st Complex, Mudeung Market, and Junghung Samgeori-by March next year. For the most congested area, Baegun Square, full road opening is expected to coincide with the completion of the underpass in June next year.

A Gwangju City official stated, "We believe we can fulfill our promise to fully open the Phase 1 roads-excluding some station sections-by December 22. On the day of the opening, we will invite citizens to explain the current status and also announce support measures for small business owners who have suffered losses due to road closures."