Taean-Anseong toll road clears feasibility review; lawmaker hails Asan as future transport hub

Rep. Bok Gi-wang of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents the Asan-gap constituency in South Chungcheong Province, said Monday that the Taean-Anseong private expressway project had cleared the private investment feasibility review conducted by the Korea Development Institute's Public and Private Infrastructure Investment Management Center, known as PIMAC.

The review is the official process by which the government determines whether a privately proposed infrastructure project can proceed on private capital rather than public funds. Clearing it is a prerequisite for a project to move forward.

The approved route runs 94.6 kilometers along an east-west axis from Taean in South Chungcheong Province through Seosan, Dangjin, Asan and Cheonan to Anseong in Gyeonggi Province, with four lanes in each direction. Total project costs are estimated at 3.7078 trillion won — comprising 2.1637 trillion won in private investment, 721.2 billion won in construction subsidies and 822.9 billion won in land compensation. The project targets a ground-breaking in 2031 and an opening around 2036, pending a strategic environmental impact assessment and other follow-up procedures.

According to Bok, residents of northwestern South Chungcheong Province have long had to rely solely on the West Coast Expressway or the Gyeongbu Expressway when traveling to the Greater Seoul area, forcing them to take detours and endure chronic congestion. The new expressway would fundamentally resolve that problem. Asan, which sits at the midpoint of the route, is set to emerge as a key transport hub linking the metropolitan area and the west coast along an east-west corridor.

For Asan residents, travel times are expected to fall by roughly 20 to 30 minutes to Taean, 10 to 20 minutes to Seosan and about 10 minutes to Anseong. The road is also expected to ease heavy congestion on the Gyeongbu Expressway by diverting traffic.

The project is also expected to deliver direct economic benefits by reducing logistics costs for raw materials and finished goods at industrial complexes in Asan, home to facilities operated by Hyundai Motor and Samsung Display. A political source cautioned that "the specific travel-time reductions could change once the locations of interchanges and connecting road plans are finalized."

Bok said the expressway "will serve as a practical foundation for the broader integration of the Chungcheong region, in tandem with the ongoing discussions on administrative integration between South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon." He added that "this feasibility approval fills a long-standing gap for the first time, and positions Asan as the central east-west transport hub of the Chungcheong region."

Bok further said that "with the era of South Chungcheong-Daejeon metropolitan integration approaching, having the key east-west transport corridor pass through Asan means more than just a new road — it means a leap forward in Asan's industrial, logistics and tourism competitiveness." He pledged to "follow through on subsequent procedures, including the selection of interchange locations, to ensure that Asan residents benefit as much as possible."