Osan City and Hwaseong City Join Hands to Enhance Administrative and Transportation Efficiency

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Lee Su-won] Osan City has decided to join forces with neighboring Hwaseong City to enhance administrative and transportation efficiency.

Osan Mayor Lee Kwon-jae and Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myung-geun held a policy briefing session at Hwaseong City Hall's Dongtan branch office on the 26th and discussed issues concerning administration and transportation.

In his opening remarks, Mayor Lee Kwon-jae said, "As adjacent regions, Osan and Hwaseong are expected to generate significant synergies when cooperating together. Let's actively cooperate," and Mayor Jeong Myung-geun responded, "Let's also establish channels for communication and cooperation at the level of practical civil servants."

In the policy briefing that followed the opening remarks, Osan City discussed the following agenda items: △Expansion and paving of Provincial Route 310 (Balsan-Sumyeon section) △Promotion of new interchange establishment on the Second Metropolitan Circular Expressway near Hwaseong's Geumgok District △Expansion of metropolitan railway transport network linked to Bundang Line and Beongwang Line △Administrative district reorganization between Oesanmi-dong in Hwaseong and certain areas in Jeongnam-myeon △Establishment of a new Osan Tax Office to handle tax affairs in the southern regions of Osan and Hwaseong △Cooperation on use of Hwaseong's Hambangsan Memorial Park cremation facility by Osan residents.

Specifically, Osan City proposed that both cities jointly request Gyeonggi Province for active administrative measures to accelerate expansion and paving construction on the section of Provincial Route 310 connecting Osan and Hwaseong's western region in the east-west direction, specifically the Balsan-ri to Sumyeon-ri section in Jeongnam-myeon, Hwaseong City (L=4.06km), and Hwaseong City agreed with this proposal.

Additionally, Osan City requested consideration of establishing access and exit routes on the Second Metropolitan Circular Expressway near the Dongtan junction in Hwaseong's Geumgok District.

In Osan City, vehicles traveling between Segyo 1, 2 Districts and Hwaseong's Dongtan New City congr via the North Osan Interchange, causing serious traffic congestion. It is predicted that if development of Hwaseong's Geumgok District is realized in the future, traffic congestion near the North Osan Interchange will worsen.

In relation to this, Mayor Lee Kwon-jae suggested, "Let's establish access and exit routes for the Second Metropolitan Circular Expressway near Geumgok District," and Mayor Jeong Myung-geun responded, "This project is also a campaign promise, so we have interest in it. Let's find a way together."

Osan City proposed that the Bundang Line extension pass through Osan University Station and Segyo 3 District to connect to Hyangnam, and that the Beongwang Line be connected from Byeongjeom to Osan's Segyo District in conjunction with metropolitan traffic improvement measures for Hwaseong Jinan District and Segyo 3 District.

Mayor Lee Kwon-jae suggested, "Let's establish a plan to build a metropolitan railway connecting the east, west, south, and north of the Hwaseong and Osan areas where living zones overlap, creating a transportation network accessible from all directions."

Additionally, there was a proposal to adjust the administrative districts between part of Oesanmi-dong in Osan City and nine ri (villages) in Jeongnam-myeon, Hwaseong City in line with the development timeline of Segyo 3 District. It is known that Jeongnam-myeon's living area has continued to be centered on Osan even after Osan-eup separated and achieved city status in 1989, and part of Oesanmi-dong is also connected to Dongtan 1 New City, with its actual living area known to be Dongtan.

Accordingly, Osan City believes that administrative district reorganization aligned with the actual living area will provide significant benefits to residents, and is pursuing this project.

Mayor Lee Kwon-jae said, "As Segyo 3 District has been selected as a new supply site, it is expected to drive the development of western Osan," and emphasized, "In that case, the living area of the nine ri in Jeongnam-myeon will naturally become more concentrated in the Segyo 3 District area. Now is the time to consider administrative district reorganization aligned with the actual living area."