Joint Meeting Held by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Seoul City
Safety Inspection Conducted in Response to Complaints About Pedestrian Overpass Vibrations
Temporary Installation of a New Crosswalk Being Promoted
A pro and anti-impeachment rally for President Yoon Suk-yeol held near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, led to an unexpected outcome: the installation of a new crosswalk.
According to Seoul City on the 20th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul City, Yongsan District Office, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Yongsan Fire Station, and the Korea Infrastructure Safety & Technology Corporation held a video conference on the 13th, when President Yoon was resisting arrest, under the theme of "Safety management of the pedestrian overpass at Bukhan-nam Samgeori in Hannam-dong, where crowds gathered."
Yongsan District Office employees managing safety on the overpass at Bukhannam Samgeori. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, provided by Seoul City.
The Bukhan-nam Samgeori pedestrian overpass, located near the site of the pro and anti rallies, is a steel box girder bridge (steel composite box girder bridge) measuring 55 meters in length and 3.5 meters in width. It was built in 1998 and had a safety grade of C (Condition assessment C, Safety assessment A, Overall assessment C).
A grade C does not indicate a problem for general facility use. A regular safety inspection grade C means "minor defects in major members or widespread defects in secondary members have occurred, but there is no impact on the overall safety of the facility. Repairs are needed to prevent durability and functionality degradation in major members, or simple reinforcements are required for secondary members (Korea Construction Safety Association)."
Previously, although this pedestrian overpass was not subject to a detailed safety diagnosis, a safety inspection was conducted in 2022 following complaints that vibrations were felt. During the recent pro and anti rallies, participants used the overpass, and complaints about feeling vibrations again arose, prompting a re-conducted detailed safety diagnosis.
Seoul City has secured disaster management funds, and Yongsan District Office plans to commission a detailed safety diagnosis within three months. If any abnormal signs are found on the pedestrian overpass, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Seoul City, Yongsan District Office, police, and fire department will immediately establish a KakaoTalk chat room for communication and response.
Along with this, a temporary installation of a crosswalk is being promoted. A crosswalk will be placed across the middle of Bukhan-nam Samgeori. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Seoul City, and others have announced plans to install the crosswalk as soon as possible through road markings and traffic signal installation.
During the height of the pro and anti arrest rallies, the police temporarily blocked the road and allowed pedestrian passage, but this time, actual lines will be drawn on the road and traffic lights installed. Once Seoul City applies for the crosswalk installation, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has agreed to cooperate as quickly as possible during the traffic regulation review process.
The Western Road Office will be responsible for the crosswalk installation construction. The schedule for the crosswalk installation will be separately determined by Seoul City’s Road Planning Division and the Road Office.
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