Korea Expressway Corp. (KEC) discussed ways of promoting cooperation with ranking officials of major procurement companies at the Global Infrastructure Cooperation Conference 2023 (GICC 2023), hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) from Sept. 22 to Sept. 23.
GICC has been held every year since 2013 to build a networking with major overseas construction procurement companies and support overseas market entry.
KEC attended ministers’ and vice ministers’ meetings from five countries - Colombia, Mauritius, Bangladeshi, Lithuania and Turkey - as well as a special session to present advanced construction and ecofriendly transportation technologies.
KEC President Ham Jin-gyu had a separate meeting with Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, Mauritius’ Minister of Infrastructure and Community Development on the sidelines of GICC 2023.
They discussed the successful complement of a consulting project designed to ease Mauritius’ traffic congestion, and the implementation of new projects.
In particular, both sides discussed ways of introducing a Korea-type advanced smart bridge maintenance technique at Mauritius’s first cable bridge, to be dedicated by the end of this year, and participating in a maintenance consulting service.
KEC invited Colombia’s transportation minister to the Transportation Center and introduced Korea’s advanced transportation management system.
KEC promised the successful implementation of the K-ITS Traffic Information integrated Center in Colombia, whose management is handled by KEC, and cooperation in the development of new projects.
A KEC official said, “It served as an opportunity to step up a cooperative regime with major institutions of foreign countries by making the most of an international event, hosted by the government, and we will proactively support to efforts to land overseas market orders by aggressively publicizing Korea’s outstanding technologies.”
KEC Opens Sihwa-Multi Techno Valley Section of 2nd Capital Ring Expressway
Korea Expressway Corp. said the Sihwa-Multi Techno Valley section of the 2nd Capital Ring Expressway, connecting Ansan and Siheung cities, was opening to public traffic.
The Sihwa-MTV section of the 2nd Ring Expressway that opened to traffic on Sept. 25 is a road with two lanes each way, connecting the Namansan Junction of the Pyeongtaek-Siheung Expressway and the Sihwa Interchange.
The project, which was launched in 2018, cost a combined 197.7 billion won.
The opening of the section of the 2nd Capital Ring Expressway makes traveling between Seonggok-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan City, and Jeongwang-dong, Siheung City reduce by 6.4 km to 3 km and 16 minutes to 2 minutes.
It disperses traffic congestion at the Namansan Interchange of the Pyeongtaek-Siheung Expressway and improve traffic flows of the industrial complexes in the Southwest parts of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, thus reducing an estimated 12.7 billion won in logistics costs.
KEC held an opening ceremony at the Sihwa Office with officials of local governments, related organizations and neighborhood residents in attendance.
A KEC official said, “The opening of the Sihwa-MTV section of the 2nd Capital Ring Expressway is expected to contribute to promoting regional exchanges and economic development in the southwestern region of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, and KEC will make efforts to meet customers’ expectations by building brand expressways in the future.”
