Construction of the Han River Tunnel on the Gimpo-Paju Expressway has entered a new phase, with boring now under way in the Gimpo-bound direction — putting the project firmly on track for completion.
The latest advance follows the earlier breakthrough of the Paju-bound bore and is expected to add momentum to the project's 2029 opening target.
Korea Expressway Corporation held a tunnel boring machine (TBM) launch ceremony Friday at the construction site in Songchon-dong, Paju, marking the start of excavation on the Gimpo-bound tunnel.
The Gimpo-Paju Expressway is a key link in the second metropolitan beltway, connecting Yangchon-eup in Gimpo and Paju-eup in Paju over a total length of 25.4 kilometers with four lanes in both directions.
The project carries a total budget of 2.17 trillion won ($1.62 billion) and is scheduled for completion in 2029.
The Han River Tunnel — the most technically demanding section of the project — runs 2.98 kilometers directly beneath the riverbed, linking Gimpo and Paju.
To overcome high water pressure and mixed ground conditions, engineers are using a large-diameter shield TBM measuring 14 meters across. The Paju-bound bore was completed earlier in April.
Once the expressway opens, the distance between the two cities will shrink from 43.1 kilometers to 25.4 kilometers, and travel time will drop from 59 minutes to 15 minutes — a reduction of about 44 minutes.
The corridor is expected to improve metropolitan transportation access in the northwestern Greater Seoul area while also cutting logistics costs and supporting balanced regional development.
"I hope this boring milestone will accelerate the project," Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung said. "We will continue working closely with relevant agencies to expand the metropolitan transportation network in ways our residents can feel."
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
