Basic and Detailed Design Services to Be Completed This Year
Construction Scheduled to Begin in the First Half of Next Year
On April 30, the Chungnam Provincial Government and Buyeo County announced that they held a residents' briefing session on April 29 regarding the "New Geumgang Bridge Installation Project" at the Seokseong-myeon Administrative Welfare Center and the Jangam-myeon Residents' Autonomy Center in Buyeo County.
This project is a key regional infrastructure initiative being promoted in conjunction with the construction of Local Road No. 611 (Jangam?Seokseong section).
After the road construction management plan was finalized in 2022, residents had expressed concerns about delays in the project. However, through this briefing session, the county reaffirmed its commitment to moving the project forward in earnest.
The Chungnam Provincial Government originally planned to complete the basic and detailed design services by September 2026, but now aims to finish them this year and begin construction in the first half of 2026.
Initially, Buyeo County proposed a two-level steel composite truss bridge (with a bicycle path and pedestrian walkway on the first level and a vehicle road on the second level) that would take the natural landscape into account. However, as the project cost exceeded 50 billion KRW, making it subject to a local fiscal investment review, the design was changed to a two-lane bridge that accommodates both vehicles and bicycles/pedestrians.
At the briefing session, residents requested that the bridge include aesthetic elements so it could serve as a tourism resource, not just a simple crossing. The Chungnam Provincial Government responded that it would consider unique landscape features such as sculptures within the project budget.
Once the New Geumgang Bridge is completed, the inconvenience of having to make a detour of more than 30 kilometers between Jangam-myeon and Seokseong-myeon will be resolved, and travel time is expected to be reduced from 40 minutes to about 5 minutes. This is also expected to have a positive impact on accessibility to Seononsan IC and Gongju Station.
In addition, this bridge installation is linked to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's inland advanced industry development plan and is expected to create synergy with various regional cultural and tourism projects, including the creation of Baekmagang National Garden, the Geumgang Nujeong Seonyugil tourism development, and the inscription of Songguk-ri in Chochon-myeon as a World Heritage site and the creation of a complex cultural space.
A county official stated, "A long-awaited project that has been pending for 50 years is now entering the realization stage," adding, "We hope that the New Geumgang Bridge will serve not only as a transportation link but also as a foundation for regional revitalization."
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