Changwon to widen long-blocked village access road on railway land

Changwon will move ahead with a long-sought project to widen the only access road into Gatgol village in Banggye-dong, Uichang-gu.

The city said Friday that Korea National Railway gave its final approval at an on-site mediation session held at the Uichang District Office by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission to allow idle land along the Jinhae Line to be used for the road-widening project. Under the Act on the Prevention of Corruption and the Establishment and Operation of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, the mediated agreement carries the same legal force as a civil settlement.

Gatgol village, home to about 50 residents in 25 households, has long relied on a single 240-meter stretch of road running alongside the Jinhae Line — just 3 meters wide — making it impossible for vehicles to pass each other and severely hampering access by fire trucks and ambulances. Residents have been pressing since February for the road to be widened to 5 meters.

Korea National Railway had resisted, citing a prohibition under the State Property Act on constructing permanent structures on national land, while Changwon could not proceed without permission to use the site. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's on-site investigation and mediation broke the deadlock.

Under the agreement, Korea National Railway will grant use of the railway land in Banggye-dong (parcel 1337-2 and surrounding lots) and cooperate with administrative procedures. Changwon plans to apply in September for about 500 million won ($362,000) in its 2027 main budget, carry out detailed design work in January 2027, break ground in March and complete the paving and widening by June. After completion, the city will take full responsibility for road maintenance, drainage upkeep and the relocation of security lights.

However, even with the access-road agreement in place, pedestrian safety on an overpass section spanning an underpass in the middle of the road alignment has emerged as an outstanding issue.

Even if the full length of the access road is widened to 5 to 6 meters, the overpass crossing the underpass is only about 4 meters wide, creating a bottleneck where pedestrians must press against the guardrail to avoid passing vehicles — a persistent safety hazard.

Residents stressed that a small pedestrian-only footbridge spanning the stream — roughly 25 to 30 meters long — must be incorporated into the design phase to fully realize the benefits of the road widening and ensure pedestrian safety.

A Changwon city official said the city would move quickly to secure the budget so the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's mediation does not end as a mere agreement on paper, adding that the detailed design process would include a close review of site conditions to eliminate any blind spots in pedestrian safety.