Three Expressway Construction Sites Using DR Girder Method
Work to Resume After Safety Verification
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has suspended all construction work at sites using the same construction method as the collapsed bridge accident on the Anseong Expressway.
On the morning of the 26th, Minister Park Sang-woo of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a meeting of the accident response headquarters for the Cheonan-Anseong section of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway construction site at Seoun-myeon Office in Anseong City, Gyeonggi Province, together with related agencies, and made this decision. The Ministry plans to strengthen safety inspections of bridge construction sites by taking measures such as resuming construction after safety verification.
On the 25th, at the construction site of Cheonyongcheon Bridge in Section 9 of the Cheonan-Anseong segment of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway located in Sanpyeong-ri, Seoun-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi Province, 4 to 5 deck slabs placed on the bridge pier fell and were destroyed on the ground. Yonhap News
The Ministry explained the accident circumstances as follows: "During the expressway construction, the girder installation equipment fell over while withdrawing after installing the girder, resulting in 10 casualties at the site." Four people died, five were seriously injured, and one sustained minor injuries. A girder refers to a large steel or iron beam that spans horizontally over columns to support bridges or buildings. It connects columns to distribute loads.
According to Korea Expressway Corporation, the client for the accident section, the construction method used at the accident site was the 'DR Girder (Deck Rib Girder - integrated deck girder) method.' This method involves prefabricating and installing the girder, a steel structure supporting the upper part of the bridge, and the road deck as a single structure. It is designed to reduce construction time and minimize cracks that may occur at connection points compared to conventional methods. The DR Girder method is a new construction technology (No. 582) jointly developed by Jangheon Industry, the subcontractor for the accident section, Dongbu Construction, and Hanmaek Technology.
According to the Ministry's investigation, there are three expressway construction sites nationwide applying the DR Girder method. It is still under investigation whether the same method has been applied at any general national road construction sites.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo is presiding over the accident response headquarters meeting at the construction site of the Cheonan~Anseong section of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway at Seoun-myeon Office in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi Province on the 26th. Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Before the meeting began, Minister Park expressed deep regret, saying, "We deeply regret causing concern to the public due to consecutive safety accidents since the end of the year," and urged, "Please make every effort to provide practical support to the injured and the bereaved families."
The meeting was attended by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (Director of Social Disaster Division), Ministry of Employment and Labor (Director of Industrial Accident Prevention and Supervision Policy), Mayor of Anseong, Chief of Anseong Fire Station, Chief of Police Station, President of Korea Expressway Corporation, and Director of the Korea Infrastructure Safety Corporation. The Anseong Fire Station and the client, Korea Expressway Corporation, presented on the accident circumstances, damage status, and support plans for the injured and bereaved families. Traffic measures around the site and accident investigation plans were also discussed.
Korea Expressway Corporation designated dedicated staff composed of construction and Hyundai Engineering employees to provide one-on-one support for victims. The construction company will prepare support measures for the families of the deceased, including funeral procedures and costs. For the families of the injured, they will provide care for full recovery and support for caregivers.
Additionally, Korea Expressway Corporation will provide scholarships to accident victims and bereaved families through the Expressway Scholarship Foundation (up to 5 million KRW annually from preschool through university graduation) and offer counseling programs to help restore psychological stability. To support residents in the accident-adjacent areas affected by the incident, damage surveys and countermeasures for nearby housing will be established, and psychological counseling programs will be operated for evacuated residents near the accident site.
Ham Jin-gyu, President of Korea Expressway Corporation, stated, "We will actively cooperate with related agencies to identify the cause of the accident and prepare measures to prevent similar accidents from recurring," and added, "We deeply empathize with the pain experienced by the injured and bereaved families and will do our best to minimize their difficulties."
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