BTX will run next year on the north riverside road… Namyangju-Gangbyeon Station travel time 62 → 32 minutes

From 2022, the’High Speed ​​BTX’ (Bus Transit eXpress) will run on the Gangbyeon North Road connecting Namyangju and Gangbyeon Station. In addition, BTX will be introduced to Olympic Highway between Gaehwa Interchange (IC) and Dangsan Station.

The Metropolitan Area Transit Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 3rd that it will promote BTX projects in two metropolitan areas by establishing a plan to improve the metropolitan area bus-based transportation system based on these details.

BTX is a new concept bus service with punctuality and large-capacity transport capability like a railroad.

Traveling time is shortened by 30% by utilizing a high-speed dedicated lane, and a transfer center is established outside the traffic base, enabling quick movement without congestion in the city.

In order to operate a high-speed dedicated lane on an arterial road, the introduction of a movable road zipper is key.

The movable median divider refers to a facility that flexibly adjusts lanes by moving the median divider according to commuting traffic conditions.

For example, the first lane in the direction of Gyeonggi is used as an exclusive bus lane in the direction of Seoul in consideration of the fact that the lane in the direction of Seoul is blocked and there is room in the lane in the direction of Gyeonggi-do at 7 am to 9 am.

As a result of the research service to introduce BTX to Gangbyeonbuk-ro in the eastern region and Olympic highway in the western region, the feasibility of the project was found to be sufficient.

In the case of Gangbyeonbuk-ro, the need to expand public transportation to strengthen accessibility to Seoul has been raised as traffic demand has increased due to the development of the Wangsuk district in Namyangju, the third new city.

In addition, the average speed of traffic in the direction of Seoul and Gyeonggi during the rush hour was 20 km/h and 63 km/h, respectively.

As for the traffic volume distribution, as the direction of Seoul and Gyeonggi is 6 to 4, it is possible to operate a movable median division, Daekwang-wi explained. According to the rules on road structure and facility standards, it can be applied as a variable vehicle when the distribution of traffic volume is unbalanced by 6 to 4 or more.

If BTX is introduced in Gangbyeonbuk-ro, the bus travel time will be reduced from 62 minutes to 32 minutes, and 2.2 million people will benefit annually.

Traffic demand is increasing due to the development of the 3rd new towns, including Gyeyang, Changneung, and Daejang, on the Olympic Highway.

The average travel speed between Seoul and Gyeonggi during the rush hour was 30 km/h and 70 km/h, and the traffic volume distribution was 6.5 to 3.5.

When BTX is introduced on the route, the bus travel time will be shortened from 93 minutes to 60 minutes. It is also expected to benefit about 1.40 million people annually.

The eastern BTX project will spend 32.3 billion won to install a mobile central separation zone 8.6km on the north riverside road connecting Namyangju Senior IC and Gangbyeon Station.

The western BTX project is planning to install and operate a mobile median separation zone (10.0 km) on Olympic Highway from Gaehwa IC to Dangsan Station. The project cost is estimated at 49.5 billion won.

First of all, Daekwangwi decided to promote a pilot project from Gangbyeonbuk, the eastern region, and plans to implement the project from next year after consultation with related organizations such as local governments.

The western BTX project will be implemented from 2023, reflecting the contents of the Gangbyeonbuk-ro pilot project.

The movable median separator was first introduced in the United States in 1984, and it was reviewed that there is no problem with safety as it is already installed and operated in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

However, as it is the first facility to be introduced in Korea, a close review is required in consideration of domestic road standards.

In addition, some local governments are concerned that congestion will worsen if one lane is given as a bus-only lane on an arterial road that is still heavily congested.

An official from Daekwang Commission said, “As the result of the research service shows that the validity is sufficient, we plan to establish a basic and detailed design and discuss the project with local governments.”

In addition, “BTX is operated in a way that matches the capacity of up and down destinations with unbalanced traffic during rush hour, so there is less fear of severe vehicle congestion.”

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