Improvement of 5 Frequent Flooding Areas and 2 Underpasses
Ulsan City plans to improve drainage facilities on major arterial roads in the city by May 2025 to reduce inconvenience for road users during heavy rainfall.
To this end, Ulsan City secured 3.1 billion KRW in special disaster safety grants in December 2024.
The main improvement sections include five locations: the Samgeori intersection near Taehwagang Station on Sanup-ro, Wonsan intersection on Gongdan-ro within Onsan National Industrial Complex, the Donggulpia area on Namsan-ro, Maeamsa intersection on Jangsaengpo-ro, and the SK Samgeori area on Cheoyong-ro.
These areas are lowlands close to shared water surfaces such as rivers and the sea, where water flow is slow and drainage capacity is insufficient, frequently causing flooding during heavy rains. Through this improvement project, the drainage system will operate a combination of natural flow and forced drainage (pumps) methods to reduce the duration and frequency of flooding.
The city prioritized detailed design from October 2024 to complete construction before the rainy season this year and secured the full construction budget (national funds) by the end of 2024.
Additionally, 600 million KRW in national funds was secured to install blocking facilities to prevent vehicle entry during underpass flooding at two locations: Ujeong Underpass in Jung-gu and Myeongchon Gangnam Underpass in Nam-gu.
There are a total of 27 underpasses in the Ulsan area: 8 in Jung-gu, 7 in Nam-gu, 2 in Dong-gu, 8 in Buk-gu, and 2 in Ulju-gun. Among these, 15 underpasses are considered highly vulnerable to flooding according to the revised tunnel disaster prevention guidelines of 2024. Nine underpasses, including Samsan, Samho, Hwabong, Dongcheon, and Sangbang, have already completed phased installation of blocking facilities.
Of the remaining six, four underpasses?Beonyeonggyo Gangbuk and Gangnam, Hakseonggyo Gangbuk and Gangnam?are currently under construction. The Ujeong and Myeongchon Gangnam underpasses, for which project funds were recently secured, will complete detailed design promptly and finish installation before the rainy season this year.
An official from Ulsan City stated, “Due to climate change, rainfall intensity is increasing and localized extreme heavy rains occur annually, causing growing damage from road flooding. We will continue to invest budgets in road sections that need improvement to prevent road flooding and do our best to ensure citizens’ safety.”
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