Osan City opens Western Bypass Road section from Gajang Intersection to Chopyeong Crossroads on the 31st

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Osan City will open the Western Bypass Road section from Gajang Intersection to Chopyeong Crossroads (Banan-ro, towards Pyeongtaek) at 10 a.m. on the 31st.

Prior to the reopening, the city conducted an emergency safety inspection to ensure the safety of road facilities, and decided to reopen after completing repairs on some sections requiring maintenance.

Until now, traffic on the Western Bypass Road section from Geumam Intersection to Chopyeong Crossroads has been fully restricted, causing severe traffic congestion centered around nearby intersections, with continuous citizen complaints over inconvenience.

The city expects that the opening of the Gajang Intersection to Chopyeong Crossroads section will partially alleviate traffic congestion at major intersections, and in particular, foresees a noticeable improvement in traffic flow around Sumokmun-ro, the central road of the Segyo 2 District residential development district.

Meanwhile, the Central Accident Investigation Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport mentioned the need for additional investigation into the Western Bypass Road collapse accident and extended the investigation period to a second extension with a deadline of February 20 next year.

Accordingly, as it is expected to require considerable time until actual restoration work is completed, the city plans to establish temporary detour roads connecting the Geumam Tunnel entrance to Gajang Industrial Road with one lane in each direction by the first half of next year as a supplementary measure to resolve traffic inconvenience.

Additionally, the city plans to promptly establish a restoration plan and proceed with restoration work as soon as the results of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport accident investigation are released.

Mayor Lee Kwon-jae stated, "We deeply empathize with citizens' inconvenience due to the prolonged traffic restrictions," and "We will do our best to improve traffic conditions."