Seoul, Korea, built a highway on top of a river to combat pollution problems.

From River to Highway to Transit

By the mid-1950s, the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul, Korea, was a dirty, polluted eyesore flowing right through the middle of the city. In an attempt to “clean up” the river and modernize the area, city officials decided the best way to solve the problem would be to pave over the river, and build a 3.4-mile elevated freeway and 3.7-mile local road to provide vehicle access through the major corridor.  Completed in the 1970s, planners anticipated the project would bring economic development and job access to Seoul;  makeshift houses would be demolished and new commercial buildings could be built in their places.  Fast forward only 10 years after the project was completed, and the dirty river was simply replaced by a dirty highway that turned the area into the busiest and noisiest sector in Seoul.

By 2001, almost 80 percent of Seoul residents supported a new proposal to remove the Cheonggye freeway and restore the river. A newly elected mayor pledged to spend $384 million not only to demolish the elevated freeway, but dedicate the local road for the city’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) line, create walkable destinations, and provide pedestrian amenities.  The 120,000 vehicles that used the freeway daily would instead be served by a high-quality BRT system to accommodate travel needs and encourage an eco-friendly environment.

When the freeway was demolished in 2003, private vehicle trips in Seoul declined by 12 percent, and overall bus ridership increased by 10 percent in the first year of BRT operation.  The success of the first BRT service in Seoul led to the creation of 45 miles of median lane BRT on eight major corridors throughout the city. By 2009, average bus speeds in Seoul have doubled and bus-transit patronage outnumbers the subway system’s by more than 100,000 passengers per day.  Because of the Cheonggye River Restoration project, the city expects more than $12 billion in new investment. 

When cities are planned for the movement of people instead of cars, they can create and transform communities into more desirable places.  New highways aren’t always the answer. Sometimes the best solutions are just below the pavement.

Photo courtesy of Dave Palmer

For Additional Information:

• Cheong Gye Cheon Restoration Project – Seoul Metropolitan Government  
• Removing Freeways, Restoring Cities – The Preservation Institute  

 

NEWS

Local News

Illiana Expressway plan signed into law – Gary Post-Tribune “The Illiana Expressway bill will allow the state to enter in a public-private partnership to build and develop the Illiana Expressway.”

RTA,seeking cash, looks into ads on its Web site – Chicago Sun-Times “J.C. Vannatta, the transit agency’s marketing manager, said the CTA, Metra and Pace — all of which are overseen by the RTA — are all interested in doing the same.”

Illinois passes bill creating HSR Commission – Metro Magazine “On Thursday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill creating the Illinois and Midwest High Speed Rail Commission (SB 2571).”

Midwest gets a jump on high-speed rail – Christian Science Monitor “Illinois is already investing to make way for a high-speed rail system expected to spread across the Midwest and hasten commutes between its major cities.”

CTA bus riders flock to rail because of service cuts – Chicago Tribune “Thousands of CTA riders frustrated by long waits and crowded buses have switched to trains since service cuts were imposed last month, new data indicate.”

Bridge to ease rail gridlock, create 1,450 jobs – Chicago Sun-Times “A $133 million federal stimulus project to build a railroad ‘flyover’ at the Metra, Amtrak and freight tracks in Englewood will untie a knot in the nation's rail system and make way for high-speed rail, government and rail officials said.”

World News

Transit options make District more affordable than suburbs – Washington Post “A report, produced by the Chicago-based nonprofit Center for Neighborhood Technology, coupled census data on population and income with local transportation costs to find the bottom-line cost of living in a particular neighborhood.”

Stimulus Plan for Rail Line Shows System of Weak Links – New York Times “Proponents of high-speed rail worry that the new line might hurt rather than help their cause, if it comes to be seen as little more than an expensive way to whisk tourists from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World.”

World’s High-Speed Train Makers Set Sights on U.S. – New York Times “Central Japan Railway and China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock are competing for the $8 billion that President Barack Obama has granted for 13 high-speed corridors across the United States.”

State moves quickly on rail contracts – Business Journal of Milwaukee “The state’s rail bureau is scurrying to get contracts for the high-speed rail corridor between Milwaukee and Madison out the door so work on the controversial line is well under way in case Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is elected governor this fall.”

First China, next the world – The Economist “On Friday came confirmation that China had mooted a plan to construct a high-speed network spanning 17 countries.”

A Time to Consider Local Fuel Fees – New York Times “The Bay Area commission is perhaps the state’s strongest advocate for a proposal that would allow voters to adopt local fees on gasoline and diesel fuel to finance transit service and pay for street and trail improvements that would benefit pedestrians and cyclists.”

Puerto Rico bets on public-private deals in 2010 – Reuters “Puerto Rico's government is preparing public-private partnerships to jump-start the island's stalled economy and wants several of the big-ticket deals in place by year's end.”

TIGER grants highlight new transportation paradigm – New Urban News “The USDOT took its first steps in early 2010 toward what may be a new approach to funding projects — one that focuses more on multimodal solutions and economic development than on highways and automobile congestion mitigation.”

Resources

• U.S. Parking Policies: An Overview of Management Strategies – Institute for Transportation and Development Policy  
• Designing Roads that Guide Drivers to Choose Safer Speeds – Connecticut Transportation Institute of the University of Connecticut
• State of Transportation Planning 2010 – American Planning Association

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Contact Information
For comments, suggestions or submissions, please contact Emily Tapia Lopez, Associate, at etapia@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6047.