'A model of responsible governance that cuts commute times'
Goyang Special City, led by Mayor Min Gyeong-seon, is moving forward with a bottleneck-relief project to shorten residents' daily commutes — one of the key campaign pledges of the ninth directly elected administration.
The city said Thursday it had selected the Janghang intersection, one of Goyang's most persistently congested chokepoints, as the first site for improvement.
The intersection serves as a key gateway from the Jayuro expressway into central Goyang via the Janghang interchange. Traffic volumes have surged in recent years as more vehicles head to nearby destinations including the MBC Dream Center, Ilsan Lake Park and the Janghang district. The increase has created recurring bottlenecks during rush hours due to a shortage of left-turn lanes — currently just two.
Rather than undertaking a large-scale civil engineering project requiring a substantial budget and years of work, the city plans to adopt a low-cost, high-efficiency approach by redistributing existing road resources. The plan involves adjusting sidewalks and portions of green space near the road to free up unused area, then expanding the left-turn lanes from two to three and extending them to 220 meters.
The project reflects the priorities of Mayor Min, who has consistently called for swift, on-the-ground solutions to traffic congestion, saying that "the speed of resolution matters above all, as rush-hour gridlock is directly tied to residents' daily lives."
The city has begun detailed design work and plans to complete all construction in the second half of this year after finishing the necessary administrative procedures.
"The Janghang intersection improvement project will serve as a model of responsible governance — using minimal budget and idle space to cut commute times for Goyang residents," a city official said. "We will continue to monitor major congestion areas and develop practical solutions to bring about traffic improvements that citizens can feel in their everyday lives."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
