The 5th Elevated Pedestrian Bridge Opens on 'Seoullo' in August Next Year

Seoul City to Complete New Building Connected to 'Seoullo 7017' by August Next Year with 15m Elevated Walkway
First Public-Private Collaboration to Plan and Realize Connecting Path... MOU Signed with GS Caltex and GS Retail

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The fifth elevated pedestrian bridge connecting Seoul-ro 7017 to a nearby building will open in August next year. It is the “Seoul-ro Energy Plus Path,” a 15-meter-long and 4-meter-wide bridge connecting Seoul-ro 7017 and a new building to be constructed on the site of the ‘Yeokjeon Gas Station’ located between Yonsei Severance Building and Hotel Manu.

According to Seoul City on the 22nd, following the elevated pedestrian bridges connecting Hotel Manu, Daewoo Foundation Building, Metro Building, and Seoul Station, the fifth elevated pedestrian bridge will be completed in August next year.

This elevated pedestrian bridge is the first case where the connection was planned and realized from the design stage of the new building. The four previously opened elevated pedestrian bridges all connected to existing buildings.

Seoul City, GS Caltex, and GS Retail decided to connect with Seoul-ro 7017 from the planning stage before constructing the building, and cooperated during the construction process to promote the creation of the elevated pedestrian bridge and a citizen rest area.

The new building ‘Energy Plus’ will be constructed on the site where GS Caltex’s existing gas station was demolished, with a scale of two basement floors to 13 above-ground floors (total floor area approximately 6,220㎡). It will be a space combining mobility infrastructure such as the future-type gas station ‘Energy Plus Hub’ capable of refueling and electric vehicle charging, along with life service contents like retail and F&B.

The elevated pedestrian bridge will connect Seoul-ro 7017 with the building’s third floor. A 29-meter-long indoor public walkway (2 to 5 meters wide) directly connected from the pedestrian bridge will also be created. It will pass through the building and connect on foot to the neighborhood park behind the building and surrounding areas.

The citizen rest area will be created on the building’s third floor with an area of about 58㎡ (approximately 20 pyeong) and will be available for use by any citizens, including visitors to Seoul-ro. It will be designed with the concept of an ‘Urban living room’ that inherits the greenery of nearby parks such as Seoul-ro and Namsan Park. Restaurants, cafes, and various retail stores will also be established.

Seoul City and the joint private developers plan to complete the permit procedures by June, start construction in July, and open the elevated pedestrian bridge along with the building’s completion in August next year. Earlier, on the 19th, Seoul City signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with joint developers GS Caltex and GS Retail for the creation of the Seoul-ro Energy Plus Path.

Ryu Hoon, Director of Seoul City’s Urban Regeneration Office, said, “By August next year, the fifth elevated pedestrian bridge directly connecting Seoul-ro 7017 to surrounding buildings will open. In particular, this connection path is significant as the first case realized through close public-private cooperation, planned from the design stage of the new building.”