Construction Begins on Temporary Bridge at Yudeunggyo in Daejeon After Heavy Rain Subsidence...Completion Expected in February Next Year

Demolition Work Begins with 10th Priority Contractor... Downbound 3rd Lane to Be Addressed First

The city of Daejeon announced on the 20th that construction of a temporary bridge for Yudeunggyo, whose pier partially collapsed due to heavy rainfall, has begun.

Kim Jongmyung, Director of the Daejeon City Railway Construction Bureau, held a press conference that day and stated, "We aimed to complete the temporary bridge by December this year to minimize inconvenience to citizens, but unexpected variables occurred as contractors ranked 1st to 9th withdrew from the qualification evaluation during the selection process. Now that a contractor has been selected, we will complete the construction as soon as possible."

Yudeunggyo has been partially closed to traffic since July 10, when part of its pier collapsed due to heavy rainfall. An emergency safety inspection resulted in an E grade, leading to a decision for a complete reconstruction.

Afterward, 18 companies were selected as preliminary bidders, but the selection process was delayed. The city dismissed claims that the delay was due to a lack of qualified bidders caused by the requirement to use a specific construction method.

The city explained that the temporary bridge for Yudeunggyo must remain in place for more than three years, secure a 25-meter long span to account for maximum flood levels, and therefore the use of a specific construction method was unavoidable rather than a general one.

Director Kim explained, "The reason companies withdrew from the qualification evaluation was due to concerns about meeting the completion deadline, as well as the challenges posed by the presence of electric, communication, and city gas pipelines, and the simultaneous use of demolition equipment weighing 500 to 1,200 tons."

The temporary bridge for Yudeunggyo will be constructed by Dawon General Construction, the contractor ranked 10th. The demolition contract has also been finalized, and full-scale construction began on the 20th.

The plan is to first open three lanes of the southbound bridge toward the old downtown, where there are fewer obstacles, with the goal of completing the temporary bridge by February next year.

Director Kim said, "We sincerely apologize to the citizens for the concern caused by the delay in selecting the contractor for the temporary bridge. We ask for your understanding and will do our utmost to complete the construction as soon as possible to minimize inconvenience to the public."