Detours and Other Traffic Inconveniences Unavoidable
New Bridge: One Year Needed for Repairs and Reinforcement After Precision Safety Inspection
Old Bridge: Three Years for Demolition and Reconstruction Alongside Subway Line 2 Construction
It is expected to take 3 to 4 years to fully restore the Yudeunggyo Bridge in Daejeon, whose deck was found to have subsided due to heavy rain in the early morning of the 10th.
According to the city on the 11th, a report was received by the police at around 8:20 a.m. the previous day that part of Yudeunggyo Bridge had sunk, and the police notified the Daejeon City road department of this fact.
As a result, an emergency full closure of Yudeunggyo Bridge has been in effect since 8:28 a.m. on the 10th. Fortunately, there were no casualties or property damage.
When officials from the relevant city department inspected the site, they found that the old bridge deck on the downstream side had subsided by 40cm and the new bridge deck on the upstream side by 20cm. The city suspects that the deck subsided due to scouring (erosion by river water, etc.) under the bridge piers.
Yudeunggyo Bridge was completed in December 1970 with a width of 15.65m and a length of 168m (old bridge), and later expanded by 14.35m due to urban development, reaching its current width of 30m.
The city estimates that it will take about one month for a detailed safety inspection of the new bridge, and about 12 months for repairs and reinforcement depending on the inspection results.
For the old bridge, the city is considering demolishing and rebuilding it in conjunction with the construction of Urban Railway Line 2. In that case, it is expected to take at least 36 months.
As a result, it is expected that it will take 3 to 4 years for Yudeunggyo Bridge, the main bridge connecting Doma-dong in Seo-gu and Yucheon-dong in Jung-gu, to be fully restored, causing significant inconvenience to citizens.
Currently, the city has rerouted 14 bus lines, including the Gyeryong 2002 bus, to use Taepyeonggyo Bridge and Domagyo Bridge, and buses such as route 27 are skipping stops like Doma E-Pyunhansesang and Doma Market, resulting in ongoing inconvenience for citizens.
A city official stated, "For the old bridge, we plan to conduct an emergency detailed safety inspection and quickly secure disaster management funds for repair and reinforcement," and added, "We have also notified the service provider to strengthen inspections on the remaining eight bridges that were flooded due to the heavy rain."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
