Introduction

The Asan-Cheonan Expressway connecting Asan and Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province opens on the 20th Sep.,2023. It is the first highway connecting Asan, South Chungcheong Province to the Gyeongbu Expressway, the national transportation network.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 19th that the Asan-Cheonan Expressway connecting Yeomseong-ri, Yeomchi-eup, Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, and Cheonan-ri, Mokcheon-eup, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan City, is scheduled to open at 10 p.m. on the 20th. It is a 20.57km four-lane highway that began construction in December 2015 and was built over a period of about 8 years with a total project cost of 1.5 trillion won. With this opening, the travel distance from Yeomchi-eup, Asan-si to Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si will be reduced by 7.9km, and the driving time is expected to be shortened to 17 minutes (29 minutes → 12 minutes).

Challenges

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expected that connecting the Asan-Cheonan Expressway to the Gyeongbu Expressway would have the effect of reducing logistics costs in large-scale industrial complexes in the northern part of South Chungcheong Province, where the semiconductor, automobile, and display industries are located. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport analyzed that the benefits arising from the opening of the Asan-Cheonan Expressway will amount to 110.2 billion won per year. Vehicle traffic was expected to be 38,000 vehicles per day.

On the Asan-Cheonan Expressway, ‘road surface watering’ facilities and salt water spraying facilities that allow rainwater to drain effectively were installed to ensure that vehicles can drive safely even in winter when there is slippery rain and thin ice. Cutting-edge technologies, such as an ‘emergency detection system’ that checks the location and speed of obstacles on the road or stationary or moving vehicles in real time, were also applied.

The opening ceremony of the Asan-Cheonan Expressway will be held near Asan Hyeonchungsa IC Square at 3 p.m. on the 20th. Baek Won-guk, Second Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local National Assembly members, Asan Mayor Park Gyeong-gwi, and local residents will attend. Vice Minister Baek Won-guk said, “To revitalize the local economy, we will quickly push forward with the opening of the remaining sections of the Dangjin-Cheonan Expressway, including the Inju-Yeomchi and Dangjin-Asan sections that are currently being promoted.”

Solution

This section began construction at the end of 2015 and came to fruition eight years later, allowing 380,000 Asan citizens to use the highway through the 'Asan IC' in Yeomseong-ri, Yeomchi-eup and the 'Asan Hyeonchungsa IC' in Guryeong-ri, Baebang-eup.

With the opening of this highway, the travel distance from Yeomchi-eup, Asan-si to Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si is expected to be reduced by 7.9 km (28.5 km → 20.6 km) and the driving time will be shortened by 17 minutes (29 minutes → 12 minutes).

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport installed road surface watering facilities and salt water spray facilities on this road to improve rain safety and prevent accidents due to thin ice on the road in winter.

We have also established an 'emergency detection system' that can check the location and speed of obstacles on the road, stationary or moving vehicles, etc. in real time.

The city expects that the opening of this section will provide greater momentum to the city's development, including reducing logistics costs and strengthening regional competitiveness by enjoying the benefits of the national main road network.

In addition, if the Inju-Yeomchi section currently under construction is connected to the Western Inland Expressway, and the Asan-Dangjin section, which is in the final design stage, is connected to the West Coastal Expressway, Asan City will have a national arterial road network in the east-west and north-south directions.

Result

With this opening, the travel distance from Yeomchi-eup, Asan-si to Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si will be reduced by 7.9 km, and the driving time is expected to be shortened by 17 minutes from 29 minutes to 12 minutes.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expected that connecting the Asan-Cheonan Expressway to the Gyeongbu Expressway would have the effect of reducing logistics costs for large-scale industrial complexes in the northern part of South Chungcheong Province, where the semiconductor, automobile, and display industries are located.