About us
(Seoul=Yonhap Infomax) Jong Hwa Han = The Saemangeum-Jeonju section of the Saemangeum-Pohang Expressway is set to open on the 22nd.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Expressway Corporation announced on the 20th that the 55.1km Saemangeum-Jeonju Expressway, connecting Jinbong-myeon in Gimje City, passing through Jeonju City, and linking to Sangwan-myeon in Wanju County, Jeollabuk-do, will open at 10:00 AM KST on the 22nd.
The Saemangeum-Jeonju Expressway was constructed as a four-lane dual carriageway, with a total project cost of 2.7424 trillion won ($2.08 billion).
With this opening, 201km, or 65% of the entire 311km Saemangeum-Pohang Expressway, has now been completed.
The Ministry stated that in October, the Muju-Seongju-Daegu section was selected as a preliminary feasibility study project, and that related procedures are being carried out as planned to sequentially complete the East-West Axis 3 expressway connecting the Honam and Yeongnam regions.
The opening is expected to reduce travel time between Jinbong-myeon in Gimje City and Sangwan-myeon in Wanju County by approximately 43 minutes (from 76 minutes to 33 minutes, a decrease of about 57%), and shorten the travel distance by about 8km (from 62.8km to 55.1km, a decrease of about 12%). This is projected to yield annual economic benefits of 201.8 billion won ($153 million), including reduced vehicle operating costs and fewer traffic accidents.
Kim Yoon-duk, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, emphasized, "The opening of the Saemangeum-Jeonju Expressway, in connection with the Saemangeum New Port and other Saemangeum development projects, will enhance accessibility in the Jeonbuk region and invigorate the local economy, serving as a foundation for its leap as a Northeast Asian economic hub."
He added, "We will actively push forward with the remaining unopened sections of the Saemangeum-Pohang route—Jeonju, Muju, Seongju, and Daegu—to complete the national arterial road network's East-West Axis 3."
jhhan@yna.co.kr
(End)
Copyright © Yonhap Infomax Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited.