Bucheon City Blocks Sinkholes at the Source... Inspects Major Construction Sites and Conducts Underground Cavity Surveys

Bucheon City in Gyeonggi Province is focusing on preventing sinkhole (ground subsidence) accidents that threaten citizen safety by conducting intensive inspections of large-scale excavation sites, carrying out detailed underground cavity inspections, and managing aging water and sewage systems.

On April 28, the city conducted safety inspections at the underground power transmission facility construction site of the GS Power Bucheon Combined Heat and Power Plant Modernization Project, as well as at Section 3 of the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway private investment project.

The underground power transmission facility project aims to build an optimized underground power transmission system along a 3.3-kilometer section connecting Samjeong-dong in Ojeong-gu and Dodang-dong in Wonmi-gu, with completion targeted for the end of this year. The Section 3 construction of the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway private investment project involves building tunnels, bridges, underground roads, and interchanges (IC) along a 4-kilometer stretch connecting Chunui-dong and Gogang-dong, with completion scheduled for 2027.

During his visit to the construction sites, Bucheon Mayor Cho Yongik stated, "In light of the recent ground subsidence accident, I checked whether construction sites in the area are being managed safely and whether there are any issues concerning citizen safety. I will do my utmost to ensure the safety management of various construction sites and roads so that citizens do not feel anxious."

Bucheon City Blocks Sinkholes at the Source... Inspects Major Construction Sites and Conducts Underground Cavity Surveys

Joyoungik Bucheon Mayor (center) is inspecting the underground power transmission facility construction site of the GS Power Bucheon Combined Heat and Power Plant Modernization Project. Bucheon City

Prior to the site inspections, the city held a safety inspection briefing on April 4 to discuss thorough on-site inspections and ground subsidence prevention measures for large-scale underground projects, including the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway private investment project, the Metropolitan Express Railway (GTX)-B line construction, the Daejang-Hongdae Metropolitan Railway private investment project, and the GS Power Bucheon Combined Heat and Power Plant Modernization Project's underground power transmission facility construction.

The city is also conducting detailed underground cavity inspections on major roads. Using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), the city detects underground voids, then performs precise confirmation through drilling and endoscopic imaging before restoring the area by injecting flowable fill material.

Since 2023, the city has conducted annual integrated underground facility inspections to proactively manage risk factors that could lead to ground subsidence. Through these efforts, by last year, the city had inspected a total of 1,431 kilometers of main roads and back roads in Wonmi-gu and Sosa-gu, restoring cavities at 465 locations. This year, an additional 352.5 kilometers of back roads in Ojeong-gu are being inspected, and next year, 265.8 kilometers of sidewalks are scheduled for maintenance.

In addition, the city is thoroughly inspecting aging water and sewage systems, which are considered the main cause of ground subsidence.

The city has formed four inspection teams and expanded the scope of its annual major water pipe safety inspections, which are now being conducted earlier than usual starting this month. Maintenance and replacement of aging sewage pipelines are also ongoing.

Technical diagnostics, including CCTV inspections, will be conducted on aging sewage pipelines, and the frequency of safety inspections will be increased from once a year to twice a year, in both the first and second halves. Intensive leak inspections are also being carried out in the Seohae Line (Sosaeul-Wonjong) section and around large construction sites.