20년 숙원…중부·경부 고속도로 충북구간 확장 추진

A signature campaign demanding the expansion of the Central and South-East Expressways has begun in Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. The campaign aims to deliver a message to the government by the end of October. The plan includes expanding four sections of the Central Expressway (54.2 km, between Czouning and Hoae) to six lanes and eight sections of the South-East Expressway (18.9 km, between Huddok and Cheongju) to ten lanes.

According to the campaign data, traffic volume on the Central Expressway exceeded the capacity by 58.4% in the expansion area on a daily average. The South-East Expressway saw a 26.7% increase. Chungcheongbuk-do's Department of Roads and Military Affairs, in charge of the project, stated that the Central Expressway in Chungcheongbuk-do has seen a surge in industrial and logistics traffic. The expansion is urgent, according to this official.

The Central and South-East Expressways are currently under a new feasibility study by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) since January. The feasibility studies of these routes in the past, including the 2006 Central Expressway study (from 2006 to 2018) and the 2008 study, reported positive economic returns (B/C ratios), but no construction took place.

The expansion of the Central and South-East Expressways has been a long-standing demand in Chungcheongbuk-do. The campaign includes both online and offline signature collections at local offices, town halls, and rest areas along the highways. The head of Chungcheongbuk-do's Balanced Development Department, Hong Eui-ok, emphasized that the expansion of these two highways is a 20-year resolution for Chungcheongbuk-do, hoping that this will change the future industrial and logistics landscape of the region.