Hwaseong Special City Officially Proposes Comprehensive Traffic Improvement Measures for Jinan and Bongdam 3 Public Housing Districts

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Hwaseong Special City announced on the 26th that it has submitted a proposal requesting "reflection of comprehensive traffic improvement measures for Hwaseong Jinan and Bongdam 3 public housing districts" to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), and Gyeonggi Province.

The Jinan and Bongdam 3 public housing districts will serve as key residential and living hubs for the southern Sudogwon region, with a total of approximately 52,000 households scheduled for phased move-ins, including Jinan district with 34,089 households (approximately 78,405 residents) and Bongdam 3 district with 18,306 households (approximately 42,105 residents).

The city, considering road conditions in the Bongdam and Jinan areas that are already experiencing severe congestion during commute hours, anticipates that metropolitan transportation congestion and resident inconvenience will sharply intensify when additional move-ins accelerate.

The proposal emphasizes securing at least 20 percent or more of the total project cost for metropolitan traffic improvement measures with priority, considering equity with other third-generation new town cases, and reflecting private investment in the Maessong-Dongtan expressway in metropolitan traffic improvement measures, as well as incorporating metropolitan rail networks including Gyeonggi South metropolitan railway and Shinbundang Line extension to Bongdam.

In particular, the proposal clearly states that to ensure the "traffic measures first, move-ins second" principle operates substantively, confirmation of metropolitan traffic improvement measures should be withheld until concrete implementation measures for the Maessong-Dongtan expressway or equivalent metropolitan traffic measures are established.

The city explains this is a minimum prerequisite to prevent the new town from becoming a mere bedroom community and to develop it as a balanced development hub with self-sufficiency functions and convenient living.

The proposal was prepared by the city through gathering opinions from residents and public-private-government cooperative bodies for the Jinan and Bongdam 3 public housing districts, and the city plans to actively respond through continuous consultations with related agencies, joint proposals, and discovery of additional measures to ensure the city's proposals are reflected as much as possible in the metropolitan traffic improvement measures.

Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun stated, "Since the Jinan and Bongdam 3 public housing districts are projects that will have a significant impact on the southwestern metropolitan transportation system and urban structure in the future, proactive and balanced traffic measures must be established," and added, "I will cooperate closely with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, LH, and Gyeonggi Province so that substantive metropolitan traffic measures that residents can feel are established and implemented."