Boryeong-Daejeon East-West Expressway Gets Green Light in National Road Network Plan

National Arterial Network Concretized in the 2nd Revised National Road Network Plan
Higher Likelihood of Inclusion in Expressway Construction Plans

The east-west expressway connecting Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon is expected to gain momentum as it is now specifically reflected in the nation's highest-level road infrastructure plan. With the Boryeong-Buyeo-Daejeon corridor, previously considered only as a "future review route," now being concretized as part of the national arterial network, the likelihood of its inclusion in future expressway construction plans has significantly increased.

On December 18, South Chungcheong Province announced that it had confirmed these developments while attending a public hearing on the "2nd Revised National Road Network Comprehensive Plan (2026-2030) (Draft)," hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and organized by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements.

The National Road Network Comprehensive Plan is the highest-level statutory plan for the road sector, established every 10 years and revised or supplemented every five years through feasibility reviews.

In the current 2nd plan (2021-2030), the Boryeong-Buyeo-Daejeon route was only included as a radial "future review route" to be considered depending on changes in transportation demand.

However, in the latest revised draft, the direction has shifted to concretize the Boryeong-Daejeon corridor as part of the national arterial network, thereby establishing an institutional foundation for the actual implementation of the project. If included in the national arterial network, the likelihood of its incorporation into the subsequent "3rd Expressway Construction Plan" will also increase.

Additionally, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced in its presidential work report on December 12 that it plans to raise the proportion of new expressway projects in regional areas to over 90% in order to promote balanced regional development and realize the "Five Axes, Three Special Mega-Regions" initiative-further improving the prospects for the project.

An official from the province stated, "We will make every effort until the end to ensure that the Boryeong-Daejeon Expressway is ultimately included in the finalized 2nd Revised National Road Network Comprehensive Plan and the 3rd Expressway Construction Plan, both of which are scheduled to be confirmed in the first half of next year."

Meanwhile, the province conducted a preliminary feasibility study for the Boryeong-Daejeon Expressway last year and has continuously appealed to the National Assembly and relevant ministries for its inclusion in the national plan.