Dongjak Bridge, Over 40 Years Old, Shows Gap... Mirroring Seongsu Bridge Incident

[Anchor]

Not long ago, a 9cm gap appeared on Seoul's Seongsu Bridge, alarming citizens. Now, a similar-sized gap has been discovered on Dongjak Bridge as well.

While the Seoul Metropolitan Government has moved to clarify that "there are no safety issues," reporter Kim Minjun went to the scene to check the actual situation.

[Reporter]

This is the approach road section at the northern end of Dongjak Bridge in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

It is a place where countless vehicles pass by every day to cross the bridge, and a notice sign from the Seoul Metropolitan Government can be seen on one side, stating that "structures are being monitored to verify safety."

At the point where two sections of the approach pier connect, you can see that gaps like this have formed.

If you measure it directly, you can see that the length is about 10cm.

Earlier this month, a gap of about 9cm was also confirmed on the approach road of Seongsu Bridge in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, prompting a series of citizen reports. Now, in less than a month, a gap of a similar length has been found on another bridge.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that "in both bridges, gaps occurred as the sand and soil-based ground gradually eroded."

Regarding the gap on Dongjak Bridge, it added that "it was first confirmed in 2023 and has been inspected periodically since then, and there are no safety issues."

[Seoul Metropolitan Government Official: Since it's a soil section, as time passes, air will escape a bit and it will settle slightly. The gap formed through that process.]

Experts point out that since Dongjak Bridge has been in use for over 40 years since its completion in 1984, it is necessary to reinforce it by utilizing a "grouting" method, which injects concrete and other materials into unstable ground.

[Lee Su-gon / Former Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Seoul: (Since the area near the approach road) is a riverbed, I think the sand can wash away little by little. Then, we need to do grouting there to prevent further leakage (and reinforce it).]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is conducting a full inspection of the approach roads of Han River bridges, and on the 29th, it plans to strip away the road pavement at the Seongsu Bridge site to check the ground stability of the gap area.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Video by Jang Woon-seok | Video Editing by Lee Hong-myung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.