[Seoul District News] Gangnam-gu Transforms Scheduled-to-Close Reservoir Top into Park & Opens with Evening Concert "Autumn Night Serenade" on 28th at 6 PM ... Nowon-gu Adds Remote Snow-Melting Road Heating System to 4 Vulnerable Snow Removal Areas for Safe Winter ... Dongjak-gu Completes Road Maintenance Around Seongdae Market
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) completed the construction of ‘Samsung Sunrise Park’ on the upper space of the Samsung-Bongeun Reservoir located at 82 Samseong-dong on the 15th.
Originally, this place was a facility to supply water to Seoul citizens, and due to local residents’ complaints and management difficulties, the green space on top of the reservoir was planned to be closed. The district decided to transform this area into a park through consultations with local residents and institutions such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government, investing 1.5 billion KRW to convert it into a convenient space for residents.
Located on a hill by the Han River, Samsung Sunrise Park is expected to become a scenic viewpoint where visitors can enjoy diverse views of the Han River, major landmarks of Seoul, and the city nightscape. From the observatory, one can see beautiful Han River scenery along with Seoul landmarks such as Lotte Tower, Jamsil Sports Complex, Olympic-daero, and Cheongdam Bridge. Especially, the sunrise viewed from the park offers the best scenery that cannot be seen anywhere else in Seoul, and it is expected to become a popular spot for New Year’s sunrise viewing.
Additionally, the park’s lawn plaza and deck rest area serve as healing spaces for visitors on picnics. The park entrance, which previously had a bleak atmosphere due to old retaining walls and asphalt, was repaved, and 26 species of trees including Blue Angel and 30 species of herbaceous plants were planted, creating a newly reborn walking trail where visitors can enjoy various seasonal landscapes.
To celebrate the birth of this new landmark, the district will hold a ‘Serenade of the Autumn Night’ concert at Samsung Sunrise Park at 6 p.m. on the 28th. The concert will feature distinguished artists such as Jang Dae-geon, the first Korean guitarist to sweep over 20 major international competitions including the Alhambra International Competition in Spain, cellist Kim Hae-eun, panflutist Kim Chang-gyun, and harmonist Lee Byung-ran, performing pieces like ‘The Alhambra Palace,’ ‘Tears Flowing Secretly,’ and the theme song from the movie ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ This concert, held at a Han River view scenic spot on a deepening autumn night, is open to anyone who visits on the day.
Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “The upper space of the reservoir, which was underutilized, has been transformed into a park, becoming a more useful space for residents,” adding, “We will continue to develop this place as a healing space where various cultural performances such as outdoor concerts can be enjoyed.”
Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will additionally install a road heating system capable of remote snow removal in four snow removal vulnerable areas within the district to ensure a safe winter.
Nowon-gu, selected as an excellent district for snow removal measures for four consecutive years, has started to maintain the snow removal system to prevent safety accidents for residents this winter as well.
Due to recent rapid climate changes making prediction and response difficult, this year’s focus is on establishing a smart and efficient snow removal system.
First, to prevent winter safety accidents and create smooth road conditions, a road heating system will be newly installed on four steep slopes in snow removal vulnerable sections.
The road heating system installs heating wires 7cm below the pavement surface to melt snow. It can be remotely controlled, effectively preventing the occurrence of snow-covered roads, ice patches, and black ice, which are major causes of winter traffic accidents.
The installation sites include a 360m section of four locations, including the area around Exit 2 of Wolgye Station, where the risk of pedestrian and vehicle accidents was high due to steep slopes, as well as ▲129-2 Junggye-dong ▲1270 Sanggye-dong ▲1000-7 Sanggye-dong.
All four locations have been designated and managed as snow removal vulnerable areas by the district, and installation is prioritized considering complaints.
Additionally, automatic brine spraying devices to prevent ice formation in advance will be installed first in four locations totaling 580m on side roads with slopes: ▲Wolgye-ro 44ga-gil ▲Gwangun-ro 17-gil ▲Deokneung-ro 122-gil ▲Deokneung-ro 126ga-gil.
The automatic brine spraying device has the advantage of maintaining functionality even during emergency excavation work in narrow alleys of side roads and can be remotely controlled for quick response according to weather conditions.
The road heating system and automatic brine spraying devices will complete installation work as soon as possible and will be fully operational this winter according to weather conditions.
Meanwhile, the district was recognized as an excellent autonomous district for four consecutive years in the 21/22 winter snow removal measures evaluation announced by Seoul City last March. It received high evaluations for actively utilizing small snow removal equipment including the patented ‘automatic small spreader’ invented in 2018, and for establishing a meticulous snow removal system in cooperation with residents.
This year’s snow removal period is from November 15 to March 15. The district plans to reorganize the task force for vulnerable areas that have been difficult to manage and strengthen safety inspections to proactively respond with comprehensive snow removal measures.
Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “We are carrying out installation work for road heating and automatic brine spraying devices in preparation for temperature drops and heavy snowfall,” adding, “We will do our best to maintain snow removal and road environment maintenance so that residents can travel safely and comfortably this winter as well.”
Dongjak-gu (District Mayor Park Il-ha) announced on the 19th that it has newly completed road maintenance around Seongdae Market to create a safe and pleasant road environment.
Due to record-breaking heavy rain over four days in August, Dongjak-gu’s Seongdae Traditional Market, surrounding alleys, and main street shops were flooded, and nearby roads were damaged by the heavy rain.
The district made efforts to prevent secondary accidents by promptly patrolling and handling complaints and performing emergency repairs on damaged roads.
From the 14th to the 16th, the district completed maintenance on a 490m road section centered on Seongdae-ro, where many residents of Sangdo-dong pass, with road widths ranging from 6 to 10 meters, and plans to finish lane painting by the 23rd.
To minimize residents’ inconvenience, the district carefully conducted construction during less busy weekend nights, posted banners for construction guidance, and attached notices to each store.
Furthermore, in preparation for the upcoming winter snowfall, four additional automatic brine spraying devices have been installed, and a total of 15 locations covering 2,025m have been equipped with automatic road heating systems, establishing strong preemptive snow removal measures.
Park Il-ha, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, said, “Given the strong concentrated heavy rain this year, we focused on safety in carrying out the maintenance,” adding, “We will do our best to improve residents’ walking convenience and enhance safety.”
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