GIMPO — A project to widen a stretch of National Route 48 in Gimpo's Gochon area and upgrade the Taeri Interchange has cleared a batch preliminary feasibility study for the government's sixth national and regional highway construction plan.
Gimpo said on the 27th that the project was among 54 selected the previous day by the seventh fiscal investment evaluation committee, which was finalized by the Ministry of Planning and Budget.
The project covers a 2.5-kilometer section of National Route 48 around Pungok-ri in Gochon-eup. A total of 53 billion won will be spent to improve the traffic system along the stretch.
The Taeri Interchange area is a major traffic bottleneck in Gimpo, where National Route 48 meets surrounding roads. Signalized at-grade crossings are mixed with merging and diverging lanes, and directional connections are insufficient, leading to persistent congestion and vehicle conflicts during morning and evening rush hours.
Calls for improvement have grown as traffic demand is expected to rise further, with the Pungmu station area, the Yuhyeon and Yangdo districts, Hangang Cinepolis and the Geomdan new town all clustered nearby.
The city has held talks with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Seoul Regional Office of Construction and Management and other agencies. During the feasibility review, officials focused on the interchange's structural problems, traffic congestion and projected demand growth in making the case for the project.
Once the work is complete, the city expects the interchange's incomplete connections to be improved, allowing smoother flows between the main line of Route 48 and surrounding roads. It also expects fewer bottlenecks and vehicle conflicts at intersections, helping the arterial road regain its function and improving traffic conditions in southeastern Gimpo.
"Clearing this batch feasibility study is an important starting point for fixing the chronic traffic problems around the Taeri Interchange," Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung said. "We will work closely with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Seoul Regional Office of Construction and Management and other agencies to ensure the project is reflected in the sixth national and regional highway construction plan and that follow-up procedures proceed without delay."
