Suwon Station Bypass Road 'Establishing All-Directional Transportation Network'

Construction is underway to accelerate the completion of the Suwon Station Bypass Road Section 2 project from the originally planned May 2008 to the end of next year, aimed at connecting Suwon's east-west residential areas and alleviating downtown traffic congestion by dispersing traffic flowing into or passing through Suwon Station Plaza.

Upon completion of the bypass road construction, in addition to traffic efficiency benefits connecting east-west residential areas and dispersing traffic from Suwon Station downtown to National Route 42, Youngtong, and Gwacheon directions—creating an all-directional transportation network—it is expected to form a circulation road axis in Suwon City together with the western bypass road and the Yangjaee~Youngtong~Byeongjeom section.

According to Suwon City, the Suwon Station Bypass Road project, which broke ground on December 22, 2003 with a total construction cost of 66.414 billion won, consists of National Route 42 expansion (1.75㎞ in length, 35m in width) and the opening of a bypass road connecting Seodun-dong and Hwaseo-dong (1.72㎞ in length, 40~45m in width), currently showing a 66% progress rate.

Since the end of February, the 2.42㎞ section from Seryue Bridge to Seoho Intersection has been under temporary operation, and National Route 42 (from Suwon Station Overpass to Guun-dong Wotgeori) spanning 1.75㎞ (six lanes in both directions) is scheduled to open by the end of March next year.

Additionally, Seoho Intersection is being newly constructed at the point where the Suwon Station Bypass Road and Route 42 meet, and Seodun Bridge is being expanded at the point where it meets Seohun Stream.

The City plans that the section of the Suwon Station Bypass Road from Seoho Intersection to Hwaseo-dong, which is a commissioned construction project by the Korea Railroad Corporation (the section where the Gyeongbu Line passes underground), was originally scheduled for completion in May 2008 depending on the construction period, but will accelerate completion by the end of December next year.

With the opening of the Suwon Station Bypass Road section, significant traffic congestion at Suwon Station Plaza caused by vehicles entering from the Ansan and Incheon directions and the Gwacheon~Uiwang road (Woram IC) is expected to be alleviated, and traffic distribution effects in all four directions are anticipated.

The City estimates that since the temporary opening of the 2.42㎞ section from Seryue Bridge to Seoho Intersection at the end of February, approximately 50% of traffic dispersal effect has been achieved out of approximately 100,000 daily vehicles passing through Suwon Station.

Furthermore, by the end of next year or after 2008 when the Suwon Station Bypass Road is completed, traffic concentrated at Suwon Station from Woram IC, North Suwon, Incheon and Banan and Osan directions, and the Youngtong area in Suwon's eastern region is expected to be dispersed, significantly contributing to alleviating traffic congestion.

Choi Cheol-gyu, Director of the Roads Division at City Hall, stated, "When the Suwon Station Bypass Road is completed, it will form an internal circulation traffic axis in connection with the southern circulation road connecting Youngtong."

Director Choi added, "When the western bypass road (western area) from Saekseok Intersection to Osan Segyo District, scheduled for completion in 2010, and the road sections connecting Yangjaee·Yeongdeok~Youngtong~Taean·Byeongjeom (eastern area) are completed, the circulation road axis with an outer ring road concept will be finalized, contributing to resolving Suwon's chronic traffic problems."