Gyeonggi considering construction of new bridge over western Han River

UIJEONGBU -- Gyeonggi Province is considering building a new bridge connecting Goyang and Gimpo, two western satellite cities of Seoul separated by the Han River, officials said Wednesday.

The city of Gimpo on Friday proposed the construction of a 1.4-kilometer bridge, named Yangchon Bridge, to meet growing transport demand between the two cities and disperse traffic concentrated on existing Ilsan Bridge, they said.

If constructed, it will be the 30th bridge over the Han River.

Gimpo and Goyang belong to the province and are located south and north of the nation's main river, respectively.

The project will hinge on a legal dispute between Gyeonggi Province and the operator of Ilsan Bridge over the provincial government's push to make it toll-free.

The 1.84-km Ilsan Bridge, constructed in 2008, was the only toll road across the Han River before Gyeonggi Province deprived the company of the right to collect fees on Oct. 27 to guarantee the basic traffic rights of residents.

The operator, wholly owned by the National Pension Service, filed a lawsuit and injunction on the same day to block the measure, which was led by Lee Jae-myung, the ruling Democratic Party's presidential candidate, who resigned as governor on Oct. 25.

The Suwon District Court is expected to rule on the injunction request this week.

If the measure is scuttled, the Gyeonggi government may have to compensate the firm over possible losses stemming from the availability of a new bridge that will compete with Ilsan Bridge over traffic demand between the two cities. Gyeonggi has canceled a previous road project due to such a worry. (Yonhap)