From news reports
The government announced a plan Thursday to build a new highway linking Seoul and the country’s administrative capital Sejong by 2025.
After a meeting of economic-related ministries, officials said the government will invest 6.7 trillion won ($5.75 billion) for the project, including 5.3 trillion won from the private sector.
Transport Ministry officials said the government made the decision to reduce traffic congestion on the current main highways of the Gyeongbu and Jungbu expressways. Sejong City is 129 kilometers south of Seoul and is a home to 36 government ministries and agencies.
Under the plan, the first 71 kilometers of the road will be completed by 2022 with the remainder to be opened in 2025.
The new highway is expected to cut travel time between Seoul and Sejong to 74 minutes from the current 108 minutes during the week.
The project was first initiated in 2009 in order to resolve traffic congestion on Gyeongbu Expressway, the country‘s mainstay highway, and Jungbu Expressway, but has been ditched for years due to the high costs amid a protracted slump in the local construction industry.
“When it is completed, traffic jams on Gyeongbu Expressway and Jungbu Expressway will decrease 60 percent,” a ministry official said.