Yongin Special City announced on the 23rd that it will conduct regular safety inspections on a total of 1,019 road structures, including tunnels, bridges, and underpasses in the region, by the end of the year. This inspection is an essential measure for the safety of citizens, and a detailed safety inspection will be conducted on five facilities, while a detailed safety diagnosis will be conducted on the Jukjeon underpass.

[Korean Today] Safety inspection conducted using articulated vehicles on bridges in Yongin Special City © Reporter Na-yeon Kim

Yongin Special City (Mayor Lee Sang-il) announced on the 23rd that it will conduct regular safety inspections on a total of 1,019 road structures, including tunnels, bridges, and underpasses, within the region by the end of the year. This inspection is an essential safety measure conducted at least once every six months in accordance with the ‘Special Act on Safety and Maintenance of Facilities’, and targets facilities classified as Class 1 to Class 3. In particular, large-scale facilities, such as tunnels longer than 1,000 m and underpasses longer than 500 m, are classified as Class 1 facilities and require more stringent inspections.

The facilities that account for the largest proportion of this inspection are bridges, with a total of 835 facilities being inspected. In addition, 30 tunnels, 25 underpasses (sidewalks), 44 retaining walls, 55 overpasses, and 24 other facilities such as covered structures and soundproof tunnels are included. Ecological passages and soundproof tunnels, which are not subject to legal management obligations but are additionally inspected for the safety of citizens, are also included in this inspection.

Yongin Special City plans to conduct a systematic inspection in this inspection, including visually examining the structural stability of each facility, repairing any defects found, and establishing maintenance measures. A total of 900 million won will be invested for this purpose.

In addition, for the facilities of type 1 and 2 that are due for inspection, detailed safety inspections and detailed safety diagnoses will be conducted in parallel. Detailed safety inspections are conducted by closely examining the condition of the facility using measuring equipment and checking whether it is designed to withstand earthquakes. The facilities that will undergo detailed safety inspections this time are Namri Bridge, Mapyeong Overpass, New National Road 43 Connection Ramp Bridge, Jukjeon 2 Bridge, and RC Retaining Wall No. 3 in Yongin Jukjeon 1st Section, which are five locations.

In particular, the Jukjeon Underpass, a type 1 facility used by many citizens, is scheduled to undergo a detailed safety diagnosis, the highest level that includes a safety assessment after a condition assessment.

City officials said, “We are conducting this regular safety inspection to create a safe road environment where citizens can travel with peace of mind,” and “We will thoroughly manage the facilities by taking repair and reinforcement measures based on the inspection results.”

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