Seongnam Sunaegyo Reopens to Traffic After 5 Months... February 18th, 2 PM

Seongnam-si Sunaegyo Bridge Seoul·Pangyo (East) Direction, Bundang Direction (West) Signage Also

Repair and reinforcement work on the 'Sunaegyo' bridge over Tancheon in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, which had been completely restricted due to safety concerns, has been completed, and traffic will resume at 2 p.m. on the 18th.

It has been five months since vehicle traffic was suspended on the Sunaegyo bridge’s 8-lane (4 lanes each toward Seoul·Pangyo and Bundang) after an emergency detailed safety inspection last August revealed structural defects (Grade E).

Seongnam City announced that it has completed the installation of 32 temporary support structures under the 179-meter-long Sunaegyo bridge and, in consultation with the Bundang Police Station and the Road Traffic Authority, decided to resume traffic. However, vehicles exceeding a total weight of 23 tons and construction machinery are restricted from passing.

The temporary support structures installed on Sunaegyo are 5-meter-high steel columns with a truss structure.

According to the detailed safety inspection results, which confirmed that structural safety could be secured by installing steel columns under the bridge between the abutments and piers, Seongnam City installed 16 columns each on the Seoul·Pangyo and Bundang sides.

Additionally, safety facilities such as guardrails and fences were installed on the pedestrian paths (1.5m wide) on both sides of the bridge. The crosswalk and traffic signal system were also modified, lane markings were repainted, and 10 streetlights were inspected.

The installation of these temporary support structures and the resumption of traffic were promoted after comprehensively considering the severe traffic congestion and citizen inconvenience expected during the originally planned full demolition and reconstruction period of Sunaegyo (2 years and 10 months).

The reconstruction of the Sunaegyo bridge will be carried out in phases with a budget of 35.3 billion KRW by December next year. The current 8-lane two-way traffic will be maintained, with separate construction for the Seoul·Pangyo side (4 lanes) and the Bundang side (4 lanes).

Temporary support structure installed for the reopening of traffic on Sunaegyo Bridge in Seongnam City

Seongnam City plans to install a 4-lane temporary steel bridge next to the Bundang side lanes (west) of Sunaegyo by August, then demolish and reconstruct the 4 lanes on the Seoul·Pangyo side (east). Afterward, the 4 lanes on the Bundang side will be demolished and newly installed to complete the Sunaegyo reconstruction project.

A Seongnam City official stated, "With the resumption of traffic on Sunaegyo on the 18th, six bus routes including metropolitan buses 1101, 1101N, 8100, 9404, city bus 390, and village bus 66 will return to their regular routes. However, due to potential traffic congestion and delays on the day of reopening, bus intervals may vary slightly on that day."

Previously, after receiving a Grade E rating in the detailed safety inspection last year, Seongnam City decided to demolish and reconstruct Sunaegyo following a final expert advisory meeting.