Projections show that even after the Gukhoe-daero (Sinwol IC to Yeouido section of the Gyeongin Expressway) road construction project led by the Seoul Metropolitan Government is completed, traffic conditions heading from Incheon toward Yeouido, Seoul, are expected to worsen compared to before the construction.

According to data submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Heo Jong-shik, traffic congestion entering Yeouido, Seoul, from Incheon is projected to persist even after 2030, when the Gukhoe-daero underground roadway and upper park development project—backed by a total budget of 561.2 billion won—is completed.

The project, which broke ground in 2018, aims to build an underground roadway and create a park on top for the 4.1-kilometer section from Sinwol IC to Mokdong Stadium, while reducing the number of lanes for the 3.5-kilometer section from Mokdong Stadium to Yeouido by the end of 2029.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has previously maintained that the completion of the project would alleviate chronic traffic congestion and revitalize the local area.

However, Seoul's data on the "traffic congestion improvement effect after project completion" reveals that for the surface-level Gukhoe-daero, the travel speed from Incheon to Yeouido, Seoul, will drop by about 7.3 km/h from the current 34.8 km/h to 27.5 km/h after completion, further worsening congestion.

Regarding the newly built free underground roadway designed to absorb the traffic congestion caused by the reduction of surface lanes, the volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio heading toward Yeouido upon completion was shown to reach 98% of the roadway's maximum capacity, resulting in a "perpetually saturated state" (Grade E) heavily crowded with vehicles.

Lawmaker Heo urged, "Incheon citizens rushing to work every day will inevitably be forced onto the toll-based Sinwol-Yeouido Underground Road. The Seoul Metropolitan Government must fundamentally resolve the bottleneck at the entrance of Gukhoe-daero toward Yeouido and come up with measures to guarantee Incheon citizens' right to transit."

(Photo: Yonhap News)