Changnyong Gate Intersection Overpass Project to Begin Soon

Suwon City and Gyeonggi Urban Development Corporation, which had been in disagreement over pedestrian underpass installation plans for the Changnyong Gate Intersection Overpass project, have reached an agreement to expand and install the pedestrian underpass at a height of 4.5 meters.

This means that the Changnyong Gate Intersection Overpass project, which was originally scheduled to begin in November of last year but was delayed for nearly three months, is expected to commence in earnest.

However, no clear conclusion was reached regarding how to bear the additional project costs of 3.4 billion won, and both parties agreed to continue negotiations in the future.

At 11 a.m. on the 10th, attended by Suwon City Council members Hong Jong-soo (Younghwa, Yeonmu-dong) and Choi Jung-sung (Ji, Uman 1·2-dong), Provincial Council member Lee Seung-chul, Construction and Transportation Director Choi Chul-kyu, and director of the Hwaseong Project Office Kim Chung-young, as well as related personnel from Suwon City and Gyeonggi Urban Development Corporation, a discussion on pedestrian underpass installation plans took place in the Economic and Environmental Committee conference room.

The meeting was arranged following the Hwaseong Project Office's proposal on the 23rd of last month to conduct expert review on an installation plan with a height of 4.5 meters, which would allow tour buses and similar vehicles to pass through. <See Suwon Ilbo, January 28>

The key points of the pedestrian underpass design review report submitted by Jung-myung Engineering are threefold: ▲relocation of the pedestrian underpass installation position and 4.5-meter passage height ▲improvement of rear local roads for pedestrian underpass access ▲improvement of the retaining wall section at Changnyong Gate Intersection.

According to the design change plan reported that day, the plan maintains a height of 4.5 meters, relocates the current pedestrian underpass approximately 100 meters toward the Changnyong Gate Intersection direction, and installs it at a width of 11 meters and length of 50 meters.

Additionally, cloverleaf-shaped roads are to be connected on the south and north sides respectively to enable entry and exit to and from the Changnyong Gate Intersection.

To achieve this, an urban planning road will be opened from the Yeonmu-jung Intersection, bypassing the planned Donggongwon site and connecting to the north access road of the pedestrian underpass. The south side will be linked with roads connecting to the Yeonmu-dong area, enabling tour bus traffic and later connecting to large parking lots for Hwaseong sightseeing vehicles.

To maintain a 5 percent slope on the road entering from the Changnyong Gate Intersection toward Seoul, part of the Donggongwon site will be utilized to improve the appearance of the existing concrete retaining wall section (130 meters in length) by stacking landscaping stones.

The relevant provincial and city council members, Suwon City, and Gyeonggi Urban Development Corporation reached consensus on these reported contents and showed convergence of opinions on technical matters, making it expected that the Changnyong Gate Overpass project will begin construction soon.

However, regarding the issue of bearing an additional 3.4 billion won in construction costs due to the design changes, the city and the corporation failed to reach a conclusion and agreed to continue negotiations on this matter in the future.

Meanwhile, the Changnyong Gate Intersection Overpass project was included in the Gwanggyo New City Comprehensive Traffic Improvement Plan in November 2005, with a total project investment of 31.9 billion won, originally scheduled to begin construction in November of last year and be completed in November 2010. However, discussions have continued regarding design plans such as pedestrian underpass installation.