Yum Tae-young, Suwon Mayor: "Open-Doors Suwon Northern Ring Road Will Be a Pleasant and Fast Stepping Stone"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] The Suwon Northern Ring Road (automotive exclusive road), a long-cherished project of Suwon City, held its opening ceremony on the 16th and revealed its true face.

The Suwon Northern Ring Road, which opens at 0:00 on the 21st, is Suwon's first privately-invested road. Sixteen years after a private investment project was first proposed in 2004, vehicles finally began to run on it.

Daelim Industrial and others took charge of construction, beginning work on June 21, 2017, and completed it after 3 years and 3 months. The project cost a total of 316.1 billion won, including 169.4 billion won in construction costs, and Suwon Ring Road Company will operate it for 30 years.

It is a 7.7 km, four-lane automotive exclusive road (maximum speed 80 km/h) that begins in Imok-dong (Seobu-ro), Jangan-gu and extends to Uyi-dong (Gwanggyo Sanghyeon IC), Yeongtong-gu. It also includes a 1.12 km branch line, 3 interchanges (Pajang IC, Jowon IC, Gwanggyo IC), 2 tunnels, and 13 bridges. An estimated 40,000 to 45,000 vehicles per day are expected to use the Suwon Northern Ring Road.

The Suwon Northern Ring Road connects to Gwanggyo IC near the Dong-Suwon IC of the Youngdong Expressway and connects via Gwanggyo Lakeside Road in the Gwanggyo and Sanghyeon IC area of the Yongin-Seoul Expressway.

As a result, it is now possible to travel from North Suwon to other areas such as Gwanggyo, Yongin, and Gwangju without passing through urban sections of National Highway 1 and Highway 43. When traveling between Imok-dong and Gwanggyo and Sanghyeon IC using this road, it is expected to save 30 minutes compared to using National Highway 1.

In particular, by connecting to Seobu-ro on Suwon's west side and Dongtan Woncheon-ro on the east side, and completing a form where the three roads circumnavigate the outskirts of Suwon, it has provided relief to Suwon City's overall road network, which has suffered from chronic traffic congestion.

At the opening ceremony, Suwon Mayor Yum Tae-young, National Assemblyman Kim Seung-won, and Suwon City Council Speaker Cho Seok-hwan attended, and events including a commemorative tree planting ceremony and a bus tour driving on the road were held.

Suwon Mayor Yum Tae-young said, "There were many difficulties in carrying out this project. The Suwon Northern Ring Road will go beyond simply alleviating traffic congestion and become a 'stepping stone' that connects nearby cities more quickly and comfortably. It will provide great benefits not only to Suwon citizens but also to residents of nearby areas such as Hwaseong, Yongin, and Anyang," and added, "Going forward, we will continue to improve the transportation environment so that Suwon citizens can move smoothly and enjoy a better daily life."