Uijeongbu City Concentrates Administrative Resources on Creating Safe Road Environment

Uijeongbu City (Mayor An Byeong-yong) announced that as a traffic hub in northern Gyeonggi Province, it is concentrating administrative resources on eliminating road hazards and defects and expanding green spaces to create a safe and healthy road environment.

The city completed paving work in April on a 2.3km section of National Route 43 and a 1.5km Chunguii-ro section connecting from the light rail Tapseok Station to Gonje Bridge, enabling safe vehicle operation. The paving maintenance project was based on a 2016 pavement condition survey and evaluation, and the city received 1 billion won in special government and Gyeonggi Province grants and 450 million won in special adjustment grants, which also provided significant benefits to the city's finances.

Additionally, rather than disposing of waste asphalt concrete generated during road construction, the city signed a business agreement in July 2016 with four recycled asphalt concrete producers in northern Gyeonggi Province for recycling purposes, achieving budget savings of approximately 140 million won.

The city also invested 900 million won in special grants to complete maintenance in early May on Hadong Bridge, Buyong Bridge, Heungseong Bridge, and Singok Bridge, which required repairs based on detailed inspections conducted last year. Through timely maintenance of poor road surfaces and hazardous bridges caused by cracks and potholes, Uijeongbu City improved road stability and durability.

To ensure safe road use by citizens, the city replaced or installed 982 meters of lane dividers and 520 meters of pedestrian safety fencing.

In particular, based on a comprehensive survey and inspection of speed bumps conducted last year, the city is conducting repainting work on 400 non-compliant speed bumps where paint had worn away and visibility was not secured.

Moving forward, Uijeongbu City plans to complete paving maintenance work on a 4.4km section including main intersections on Pyeonghwa-ro where plastic deformation occurred, in front of Jangam Woosung Apartments on Dongil-ro, in front of Baek Hospital on Chudong-ro, in front of Nokyang Humancia 1 Complex on Cheyuk-ro, in front of Uijeongbu Commercial High School on Ganeung-ro, in front of Nokyang Church on Bigu-ro, and in front of Songsan Jugong 3 Complex on Hyoja-ro, as well as seismic reinforcement work on Yangju Bridge by the end of June.

Out of a total 4.7 billion won in road maintenance project budget for 2017, the city is rapidly executing 2 billion won to prioritize improvements to road hazards and defects, focusing on enhancing citizen convenience and safety.

Recently, amid threats posed by high concentrations of pollutants such as yellow dust, fine dust, and pollen to living spaces, Uijeongbu City conducted washing operations on road facilities including median barriers. In particular, the city is actively responding by mobilizing one city facility management corporation vehicle and two leased vehicles to conduct water spraying operations on major roads in the city, multi-use facilities, and roads around schools.

Road water spraying operations are being conducted three times total, from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. when vehicle traffic is relatively light, with participation from four large construction sites operated by private contractors including the Jikdong and Chudong Neighborhood Park construction sites, and the city plans to continue implementation through the end of June.

Road maintenance work prioritizes the removal of approximately 10 tons of accumulated sediment and household waste that had been left unattended in maintenance blind spots such as areas under bridges and elevated roads, under median barriers, shoulders, and slopes, while creating a bright and pleasant road environment and concentrating administrative resources to enable citizens to use healthy roads.

Moving forward, Uijeongbu City plans to increase the green space ratio through projects to create green spaces in the central median and safety zones of roads in front of Jangam Woosung Apartments on Dongil-ro and at the Hogukkro Sangeum-o three-way intersection.

Additionally, the city plans to sequentially improve long-term projects including improvements to the lower sections of Howon Overpass, the city's gateway; creation of green spaces on traffic islands; expansion of green belt creation on Simin-ro; and improvements to underpass sections including Line 1 of the Metropolitan Subway, in accordance with annual project plans.

Mayor An Byeong-yong of Uijeongbu City stated, "We will make every effort to ensure that roads, which are closely related to citizens' daily lives, can be used conveniently and safely through optimal maintenance management and timely repair and reinforcement of defects," and added, "We will also make multifaceted efforts to create a more advanced and healthy road environment that goes beyond being a simple thoroughfare."