Yangju mayor calls project 'a shared challenge requiring inter-municipal cooperation'

Yangju and Pocheon will jointly restore the forest ecological corridor severed by Local Road No. 56 at Hoeam Pass on Cheonbosan, the two cities announced Friday.

The project centers on the Wangbang Branch Ridge, a forest corridor branching off from the Hanbook Mountain Range and linking Wangbangsan and Cheonbosan — one of the main green axes running through the Yangju and Pocheon areas.

The Hoeam Pass section was cut off when Local Road No. 56 was built across the ridge. The road carries an average of about 4,320 vehicles a day, and sharp curves near the summit have made it difficult for hikers to cross and for wildlife to move through the area.

The project gained momentum last year after the Korea Forest Service selected the site for its 2026 Baekdudaegan (mountain range) Forest Ecological Corridor Restoration Project. Yangju and Pocheon plan to invest a combined 5.8 billion won ($4.33 million) to build an ecological overpass 38 meters long, 19 meters wide and 8 to 9 meters tall. The national government will cover 70 percent of the cost, with local governments funding the remaining 30 percent.

The overpass will include wildlife passages, pedestrian walkways and guide fencing. Once complete, the project is expected to restore about one hectare of forest and improve safe passage for hikers and wildlife along the Wangbang Branch Ridge.

The two cities plan to finish the detailed design this year, break ground in 2027 and complete the project by 2029.

The initiative has drawn attention as an example of neighboring municipalities working together to address a shared environmental challenge.

Yangju and Pocheon have been cooperating on cost-sharing and project planning, and have gathered input from local residents, merchants and landowners through public briefings.

"Ecological restoration is not a problem for any single area — it is a shared challenge that requires cooperation between municipalities," Yangju Mayor Jeong Deok-yeong said. "I hope this project serves as a model for expanding cooperation among neighboring local governments."


pjh@heraldcorp.com