JEJU, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) – A construction project that started four years ago to expand Bijarim road that links Daecheon and Songdang in the southern island of Jeju and was subsequently halted is now expected to proceed.
The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Office said Wednesday it has completed revising the blueprints for the construction of a four-lane road across Bijarim-no in accordance with environmental impact reduction plans, and has restarted the project.
The provincial office will first set up fences around the road’s 2.94-kilometer span before logging the local cedar trees.
It had initially planned to expand the road to a width of 21 meters. However, a request from the Ministry of Environment for the reduction of environmental impact has narrowed the road to 16.5 meters.
The provincial government also plans to move protected species living at the construction site to a different location and set up safety fences and eco-corridors.
The construction project to widen Bijarim road began in August 2018, but opposition from environmental groups and the discovery of endangered species in the area including scarab beetles and fairy pitta lead to the project’s suspension.
Image Credit: Yonhap / Korean Federation for Environmental Movement / photonews@koreabizwire.com
