Incheon City on the 22nd announced the revised metropolitan city road route system.
This reorganization was carried out to reflect higher-level national plans, including development plans for the Songdo and Cheongna Free Economic Zones and Gyeyang Technovalley (TV), highway construction, and plans to improve traffic-congested roads.
Accordingly, Incheon's metropolitan city road routes, which had 68 routes with a total length of 891 km, will be expanded to 76 routes spanning 931 km. Ten routes were newly designated, 13 were changed, and two were abolished.
Most of the new routes are included in areas where large-scale development is underway, such as Songdo International City District 11, Gyeyang TV, and Cheongna and Seocheong. In the Songdo area, three routes—Nos. 83, 85, and 87—were newly established, and in Gyeyang TV, two routes—Nos. 81 and 82—forming the north-south and east-west axes were reflected.
In addition, two routes, Nos. 79 and 80, were designated in the Cheongna and North Port area to respond to urban expansion and growing logistics demand. Two routes in Seocheong District 2—Seocheongnam-ro and Seocheongbangsan-ro, and Seocheong Circular Road (Nos. 88 and 89)—which are in public use, were newly included in the metropolitan city road network. Also, the county and township roads from Oepo-ri in Naega-myeon, Ganghwa County, to Sinjeong-ri in Seonwon-myeon, which connect to the Gyeyang–Ganghwa Expressway, were designated as Metropolitan City Road No. 60.
The starting and ending points and alignments of the changed routes were adjusted. Route No. 1 had its starting point extended from Oryu-dong to Bukseong-dong, and Route No. 37 had its endpoint extended to Bullo-dong. Routes Nos. 44 and 68 had their alignments adjusted to reflect higher-level plans, including the traffic-congested road improvement plan and the opening of the Yeongjong–Sindo Peace Road. Route No. 30 had its starting point reduced from Cheongna to Seoknam, and the reduced section was separated from the main route and newly designated as Route No. 79.
Jang Cheol-bae, head of the Incheon City Transportation Bureau, said, "This reorganization of metropolitan city road routes is a preemptive process for expanding a systematic road network by reflecting development projects and changes in future traffic conditions," adding, "Connectivity between the metropolitan axis and arterial axis will be strengthened, further improving citizens' travel convenience."
Meanwhile, the abolished routes are Nos. 29 and 51. Route No. 29 was merged into Route No. 13, and Route No. 51 was excluded as it was downgraded to a "local road" due to the need to adjust management authority.