Yongin City Welcomes "Gyeongbu Underground Expressway Project Passes Preliminary Feasibility Study"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] Yongin Special City announced on the 23rd that the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway (Yongin Giheung~Seoul Yangjae) project, one of the core components of the city's 'L-shaped 3-axis roadway plan,' passed the preliminary feasibility study review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance the previous day, and that it will actively pursue the project.

The Gyeongbu Underground Expressway project connects with the city's priority project of constructing a semiconductor expressway (Hwaseong Yangam~Yongin Namsa·Idong~Anseong Iljuk) and Provincial Route 318 between Giheung·Gomae~Idong·Seori, making it a crucial transportation infrastructure expansion project for Yongin's leap to becoming a global semiconductor hub city.

The construction of the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway involves building a new underground road with 4-6 lanes in each direction beneath the heavily congested Gyeongbu Expressway, which the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is actively promoting.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport commissioned the Korea Development Institute (KDI) early last year to conduct a preliminary feasibility study for this project.

In March of this year, Yongin City established the 'L-shaped 3-axis roadway plan,' which densely connects multiple areas of the city with expressways and expressways including the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway, and conveyed to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport its intent to proceed with the plan.

To realize the construction of the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway, a core project of the L-shaped 3-axis roadway plan, the city had its Vice Mayor attend the comprehensive evaluation (AHP) meeting of the Ministry of Economy and Finance's preliminary feasibility study to actively explain the necessity of the expressway construction.

The 'L-shaped 3-axis roadway plan' prepared by Yongin City consists of the semiconductor expressway axis (L1) and two semiconductor inland road axes (L2, L3), with the L1 axis being the route connecting the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway and the semiconductor expressway (Hwaseong Yangam~Yongin Namsa·Idong~Anseong Iljuk).

The city plans to construct Provincial Route 318 extending from Gomae-dong, Giheung-gu where the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway Giheung IC is located, to Seori-ri, Idong-eup to connect Samsung Electronics' Giheung Campus and Hwaseong Campus with the advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex in Idong and Namsa-eup via the shortest route, and is working to reflect this project in the 'Fourth Gyeonggi-do Road Construction Plan ('26~30)'.

The city also reflected the installation of a Gyeongbu Underground Expressway IC in the metropolitan traffic improvement measures for Giheung-gu Platform City to enhance expressway accessibility for residents in the northwestern region of the city, where expressways are nearby but not easily accessible.

In particular, to maximize synergies among semiconductor anchor companies, semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment companies, and fabless (design) companies to be located in Yongin, the city is focusing on significantly expanding its roadway network, including construction of the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway and semiconductor expressway to reduce transportation time for human and material resources.

In the southeastern part of Yongin City, projects are underway including the 'Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex' where Samsung Electronics invests 36 trillion won to establish 6 Fabs (semiconductor production lines), and the 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex' where SK Hynix invests 12.2 trillion won to create 4 Fabs. In the southwestern region, Samsung Electronics' future research complex (Giheung Campus) with 2 trillion won in investment is being pursued, and in the northwestern region, the Platform City project is being promoted with semiconductor materials, parts, equipment companies and hotels, shopping malls, and convention facilities.

Mayor Lee Sang-il stated, "The passage of the Gyeongbu Underground Expressway construction project through the preliminary feasibility study is good news following the government's decision to exempt the preliminary feasibility study for the expansion of National Route 45 (4 lanes→8 lanes) that passes through the advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex in Idong and Namsa-eup and the semiconductor specialized new city in Idong-eup," and evaluated that "Yongin's transportation will be further developed, and the foundation for Yongin's leap to becoming a world center for semiconductors, which face fierce global competition, has been more firmly established."

The mayor stated, "We look forward to the semiconductor expressway construction project also passing the KDI private finance feasibility study," adding, "Since Yongin Special City's L-shaped 3-axis roadway plan smoothly connects major areas of the city's L-shaped semiconductor belt so that companies related to semiconductors and advanced industries and IT talent can work while enjoying transportation convenience, we will continue to consult closely with the central government and related agencies to ensure that the city's plan is implemented without disruption."