South Korea Breaks Ground on Ganghwa–Gyeyang Expressway to Connect Ganghwa Island with Gimpo

South Korea has broken ground on the Ganghwa–Gyeyang Expressway, a 29.9-kilometer, four-lane highway that will link Ganghwa Island with Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province and Gyeyang District in Incheon. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on the 12th at the Seonwon-myeon Life Sports Center in Ganghwa.

The project is being built by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Expressway Corporation. The route runs from Shinjeong-ri in Seonwon-myeon, passes Gimpo and Incheon’s Seo-gu, and reaches Sangya-dong in Gyeyang-gu. The total construction cost is estimated at 3.2629 trillion won, with a target completion year of 2032.

A new bridge is planned as part of the corridor, provisionally named the New Ganghwa Bridge. The island currently connects to Gimpo via the Ganghwa Bridge and to Incheon via the Chojidaegyo Bridge; the new bridge would add a third crossing to link Ganghwa and Gimpo.

Officials say the expressway will improve traffic conditions in Incheon’s northern region and shorten inter-area travel times. Once finished, travel from Ganghwa to Seoul could be about 30 minutes, integrating the northern Incheon area into a single regional transport axis.

The project is viewed as a strategic backbone for connecting the northwestern portion of the Seoul metropolitan area with the capital’s core, with implications for future inter-Korean exchanges and a potential road network in a unified era.

Jang Cheol-bae, head of Incheon’s Transportation Bureau, said the highway would enhance northern Incheon’s transport conditions and reduce travel times between regions, contributing to local economic activity.

The Ganghwa–Gyeyang Expressway reflects Korea’s broader agenda to expand major expressways to boost regional growth, supply-chain robustness, and cross-region connectivity, with potential relevance for U.S. policymakers and businesses watching East Asian infrastructure and regional security dynamics.