SK Construction Wins Dongbu Expressway Underground Project... Construction Cost of 156.8 Billion KRW

Aerial view of the underground road from Changdong to Sanggye on the Dongbu Expressway in Seoul (Provided by SK Construction)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The SK Construction consortium has succeeded in winning the bid for the underground project of Dongbu Expressway. The total construction cost is approximately 156.8 billion KRW.

On the 14th, SK Construction announced that it had won the construction contract for the 'Dongbu Expressway Changdong~Sanggye Underground Road,' which was commissioned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government through a technical bidding process.

This project involves constructing a 1.7 km, three-lane underground road from Changdong Bridge to Sanggye Bridge along the Dongbu Expressway, in accordance with the Changdong·Sanggye Urban Regeneration Activation Plan. Along the existing road, a park with a total length of 0.9 km and a width of 25 to 30 meters will be created following the Jungnangcheon stream.

SK Construction succeeded in this bid through a consortium formed with Daewoo Construction, Daelim Construction, Hoyong, and Seowoo. Holding a 40% stake in the consortium, SK Construction will undertake both design and construction. They plan to carry out detailed design and preliminary works, including priority construction, concurrently for eight months before commencing the main construction. The construction period is scheduled to be 54 months after groundbreaking.

This bid was a technical bidding process where the weighted criteria gave a 65 to 35 ratio between design and price scores, making design capability a crucial factor. An SK Construction official explained, "Since the construction section is a habitual traffic congestion area, we believe that preparing a design plan that minimizes construction impact and simultaneously addresses environmental issues in the surrounding urban area contributed to receiving a high score."

SK Construction especially considered that the Changdong~Sanggye underground road is an important section connecting to the 'Seoul Arena,' a K-POP specialized performance hall currently being promoted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. They plan to improve traffic conditions through the undergrounding of the arterial road and park creation, enhancing accessibility and convenience for nearby residents using the performance hall and park.

Jo Jeong-sik, head of SK Construction's Infrastructure Business Division, said, "It is even more meaningful to have our design capabilities recognized in a civil engineering technical bid issued by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the first time in eight years." He added, "Based on SK Construction's differentiated technical competitiveness, we will do our best to secure additional orders in upcoming projects."