Strategies to reinforce the functions of general national roads in cities as arterial roads 

Lee Chun-yong Head of National Infrastructure Research Division, Go Yong-seok, Head of Road Policy Research Center 

Jung Myeong-un, Head of Planning and Coordination Dept., Korea Legislation Research Institute, Kim Jong-hak, Executive Director of Naekyung Engineering

Summary

1> Roads for the exclusive use of motor vehicles are managed by both the central and local governments and there is a lack of efforts by local government to reduce traffic congestion on general national roads in their jurisdictions 

2> It is critically important for the central government to improve the functions of general national roads managed by local governments as arterial roads for balanced development of national territory, strengthening the competitiveness of a city, and reduction of traffic congestion in urban areas where the population and industry are concentrated 

3> General national roads in local cities should strengthen their functionality serving as national highways in order to complete the national highway system in cities, and actively respond to changing conditions such as implementation of policy tasks and the 5th comprehensive plan for the development of national territories. 

Policy implications

① Select the transport axis of general national roads connecting highways in cities for prompt movement and comfortable access to city regions 

② With regard to the transport axis of highways, select the routes that do not disconnect motorways sections to connect and complement expressways for large city regions, and secure the continuity of routes for sections containing general national roads and local roads in part for conurbation regions where a number of cities are located closely to create one living zone

③ For (city-level) local governments, the central government and local governments need to share their roles to improve existing facilities for better accessibility centering on publicly owned arterial roads and arterial transport axis

④ Explore ways to effectively manage road administration activities that the government pays the maintenance costs required to install a unified maintenance system and secure the software basis with advanced ICT in order to realize the functions of general national road seamlessly ​