Franklin Fischer has an update on the status of the Camp Humphreys expansion project:

“This is truly our step into the future,” said Bob McElroy, spokesman for the U.S. Army Garrison-Humphreys.

“For the last couple of years, we’ve talked about the relocation, and we’ve opened a lot of new facilities on the existing Camp Humphreys. But now we’re seeing construction on the new land. To me, it’s a sea change.”

Some of the work is or will be under way on a vast tract of former farm land earmarked for the Humphreys expansion; other projects are scheduled for the existing post, said Fred Davis, Army Relocation Program manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Far East District.

Already going up are six barracks on what planners call Parcel 1 of the expansion land.

“They’re already up to the third floor, some of them,” said Greg H. Reiff, the Far East District’s Humphreys area engineer.

The $480 million infrastructure project for both the existing post and the expansion land will include gas, power, water and sewer lines; drainage; power stations; water and sewer treatment plants; perimeter fencing and lighting; traffic lights and street lights; and new sidewalks, bike lanes, jogging trails and road corridors, landfill, and other work.

“This is everything,” Reiff said. “It’s the first really big step forward on the relocation program because of the size and magnitude of the contract. And it’s kind of the forerunner for everything else, because it sets the groundwork for all the future construction.”  [Stars & Stripes]

Make sure to read the rest of the article if you want to see a list of the projects currently being constructed on the camp.

Just think this year, 2009 was supposed to be the year the expansion project was originally going to be completed and they are just now able to start the major construction projects.   For those that have not been following this issue, the reasons for delay after delay are various, but it first started with the political fight within Korea to make the Camp Humphreys relocation project even possible.  The Korean government has never wanted the USFK relocation to happen for a variety of reasons and the only reason it has gotten as far as it has was because of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s threat to withdraw USFK which was made quite clear with the redeployment of 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division from the Korean peninsula along with a host of other troop cuts.  A few days after Rumsfeld resigned from office the Korean government immediately reneged on the transformation deal and announced the first delay of the Camp Humphreys relocation to 2012.

Following that drama then the next major fight happened when the anti-US groups began their siege of the land outside of Camp Humphreys slated to be annexed for the expansion.  The stand off went on for months until finally one last epic Braveheart style battle took place where after many injuries the Korean police were able to expel the anti-US groups.   Since then the delays have only increased, corruption has been rampant, and the Korean government launched a protracted fight over the funding of the US-ROK alliance and the move.

After it is all said and done, the completion of the expansion will happen somewhere between 2016 – 2019.  It is incredible to think that the US government can decide to invade Iraq, occupy it, and then set up a security agreement with the new government to complete US withdrawal from the country in less time then it takes to withdraw troops from Yongsan Garrison.