Seongnam Jeongja Bridge Demolition Expected Around June... Completion Scheduled for First Half of Next Year

Demolition work on Jeongjagyo Bridge in Jeongja, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province is expected to begin as early as June.

Seongnam City announced on the 8th that once the on-site evaluation by the appraisal agency to thoroughly investigate the cause of the Jeongjagyo Bridge collapse is completed within this month, preparations for the main construction will begin in May, starting with the removal of debris at the collapse site. The demolition and cutting of the bridge walkway (cantilever section) will take place in June, followed by the construction of new piers and the installation of scenic pedestrian bridges on both sides. The roadway section will undergo comprehensive repair and reinforcement, with the construction proceeding in stages.

The restoration and completion of Jeongjagyo Bridge are scheduled for the first half of next year.

After the Jeongjagyo Bridge collapse accident last year, Seongnam City filed a lawsuit against the construction company at the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch. The Korea Society of Civil Engineers, designated by the court as the appraisal agency, has been conducting an on-site appraisal of Jeongjagyo Bridge since November last year, which is expected to conclude around the 30th of this month.

Safety Inspection of Jeongja Bridge

Following the accident, Seongnam City has been conducting urgent detailed safety inspections on all bridges in Bundang-gu, including Jeongjagyo Bridge (19 bridges over Tancheon Stream and 32 bridges over tributaries). Since October last year, the city has been working on detailed designs for the demolition, repair, and reinforcement of hazardous bridge sections.

Prior to construction, concrete boxes and reinforcements were installed on the bridges to ensure the safety of pedestrians passing underneath. Preliminary work such as the removal of protective measures to relocate buried obstacles within the bridges is also underway.

Currently, out of the 51 bridges in Bundang-gu, the design for three bridges?Singibo Pedestrian Bridge, Baekgung Pedestrian Bridge, and Yanghyeon Bridge?has been completed, and repair and reinforcement work began on March 29. The remaining bridges will undergo construction sequentially as the relocation of obstacles and design work are completed.