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Recent Major Bridges in Korea

Article  in  IABSE Symposium Report · January 2009

DOI: 10.2749/222137809796089296

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 Recent Major Bridges in Korea

Hyun-Moo KOH Jinkyo F. CHOO

Professor Assistant Professor
Seoul National University Konkuk University
Seoul, Korea Seoul, Korea
hmkoh@snu.ac.kr jfchoo@konkuk.ac.kr
Hyun-Moo Koh, born 1952, Jinkyo F. Choo, born 1968,
received his BS and MS in civil received his civil engng.
engng. from Seoul Nat’l Univ. degree from the Univ. Libre of
and his Ph.D. from the Univ. of Bruxelles and his Ph.D. from
Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Seoul National Univ.
He is currently chair of the
Korean Group of IABSE.

Summary
During a relatively short period, bridge technology in Korea has recognized outstanding
development. Owing to the governmental policy aiming to achieve balanced regional development,
unprecedented bridge construction activities are conducted in the peninsula, especially in the
southwestern coast to link some of the 3,000 islands with the mainland. Korean bridge engineers are
now designing and constructing bridges using domestic technology, which has today reached a level
enabling to realize the erection of numerous sea-crossing bridges counting among the longest in the
world like Incheon cable-stayed bridge (main span 800m) and Gwangyang suspension bridge (main
span 1545m). This paper reviews the evolution of modern bridge construction in Korea and presents
major bridges recently erected or to be built. R&D programs dedicated to the advancement of
bridge technology are also introduced.

Keywords: bridge technology; sea-crossing bridges; cable-supported bridges; R&D programs.

1. Introduction
Despite of its short history of 40 years, the
Korean bridge technology recognized
outstanding development. The construction
of bridges was at first involved as social
infrastructure supporting the series of 5-year
plans of the governmental policy since 1962
aiming to boost the economy of the country.
As a result, the bridge stock of the peninsula
increased from 9,322 bridges in 1970 to
22,937 bridges in 2007 and the
corresponding developed length extended
Fig. 1 Number of bridges built by decades in Korea [1] from 268km to 1,987km [2].
It is noteworthy that even if the developed length of the bridges multiplied by 5 times, the bridge
stock only doubled. This means that Korean bridge engineering has realized remarkable progress in
the domain of long-span bridges such as cable-supported bridges. In a short delay, Korea will have
a cable-stayed bridge, Incheon Bridge (80+260+800+260+80m) that will rank at the fifth position
among the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world, and a suspension bridge, Gwangyang Bridge
(main span: 1545m), that will be the third longest bridge in the world at its completion in 2012.
The preference given to cable-supported bridge can be attributed to the topography of the Korean
peninsula. Seventy percent of the country is composed of mountainous areas and the coastal regions
are surrounded by 3,174 islands, which represent 3.80% of the territory with 0.65% of the
population. Most of these islands being inhabited, their connection with the mainland is of
primordial importance for the balanced regional development and preference is indeed given to
cable-supported bridges in order to secure navigational channels (Fig. 2).
The construction of bridges is thus a
necessity that will bring multiple
benefits. In a social point of view,
about 90% of the 3,174 islands of
Korea are gathered in the southern
and western coastal areas of the
peninsula, of which most are located
within a distance of 1km from the
continent. However, the aging and
emigration of the working population
to big cities and the poor accessibility
are accelerating their desertion. In an
economical point of view, it becomes
obviously necessary to prepare for the
future tourism inflow and economic
revitalization of remote areas through
Fig. 2 Overview of the islands of Korea by province the construction of seashore road belts
conducted by the governmental plan.
The scenes offered by the southern and western coasts will be a very profitable source of revenue
for these regions. The construction of bridges will also reduce significantly the large deviations
caused by the sawtooth coastline, and improve the accessibility and transportability of goods
fabricated in the neighbouring industrial complexes [2,3].
The bridge stock will grow
continuously through the restless
sea-crossing bridge construction
activities in the southwestern
coast, especially in the Province
of Jeollanamdo located in the
southwest of Korea and bounded
on the west by the Yellow Sea
and on the south by Jeju Strait.
Almost 2,000 islands of which
75% are inhabited are scattered
along the 6,100km of its
coastline. The plan of the
provincial government is to
provide a total of 103 bridges to
link major islands. Among these,
33 bridges have already been
completed, 21 are under
Fig. 3 Sea-crossing bridge construction activities in Jeollanamdo construction and 48 are under
Province project (Fig. 3).
At completion of these bridge projects, the southwestern coast of Korea will become a museum of
bridges with all types of structures from simple girder bridges to world-ranking suspension bridges.
The following intends to review briefly the 40 years of the history of bridge in Korea with focus on
sea-crossing bridges so as to highlight major recent bridges that have been or are being constructed
all over the country. Recent national R&D programs of the Ministry of Land, Transport and
Maritime Affairs (MLTM) and in-house programs dedicated to the advancement of bridge
engineering and design are also introduced.

2. Evolution of Modern Bridges in Korea

Construction has been the backbone of the economic development of Korea and, bridges in the
transportation network played a critical role in the realization of the “Miracle on the Han River”,
which is the astonishing period of rapid economic growth that took place from 1961 to 1997. The
Miracle on the Han River that started from Seoul to propagate over the whole country enabled
Korea to propel as the 12th largest economy in the world after the ravages of the Korean War
(1951-1953).
Korea achieved its transformation from agrarian economy to a modern industrial power within three
decades, which other industrialized countries took almost a century to achieve, owing to the
succession of 5-year development plans since 1962 (1962-1996). These plans were established by
the government by identifying specific areas for outward-oriented national development driven by
the assumption that economic growth and competitiveness cannot continue without breakthroughs
in science and technology. Accordingly, social infrastructures including roads, railways, airports,
harbours and bridges were restlessly built to support the industrialization process as well as the
stabilization process for the regional balanced economic development. Excluding the bridges built
before the Independence and the creation of the Republic of Korea, four major periods can be
distinguished in the evolution of modern bridge technology in Korea, which correspond roughly
with the series of 5-year economic plans of the government.

2.1 First Generation of Sea-Crossing Bridges in Korea (1962-1990)

The first generation of sea-crossing bridges in Korea corresponds to the introduction period of
foreign technology and grew along with the industrialization boom of the country until 1990. At the
time, the government poured huge investments for social overhead capitals (SOC) and construction
was funded essentially through public loan. Various types of bridges were built in records of time
but the need for rapid construction and the lack of skill often resulted in poor quality of construction.
The collapse of Sungsu Bridge in Seoul in 1994, only 15 years after its opening to traffic in 1979, is
a sadful example of unskillfully erected bridges at the time. In addition, the design of most of the
bridges of the first generation was relying on foreign technology.
Besides, this period corresponds also to the introduction of cable-supported bridges in Korea with
Namhae Bridge, the first suspension bridge in Korea. Namhae Bridge completed in 1973 after 5 years
of construction is a three-span suspension bridge with a main span of 660m (128+404+128m) and
stiffening girders composed of welded steel boxes. Thereafter, several cable-stayed bridges were built
like the first Jindo Bridge (70+344+70m) and Dolsan Bridge (85+280+85m) in 1984 (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4 Views of Namhae Bridge, Jindo Bridge (front: 1st Jindo Bridge, rear: 2nd Jindo Bridge) and
Dolsan Bridge

Together with the increase of the bridge stock, Korea experienced also tremendous increase of
traffic. The number of vehicles registered in Korea today has already exceeded 16 million units.
From 1970 to early 2000s, the total number of vehicles multiplied by 120 and the number of trucks
mutiplied by 60. To worsen the situation, the dimensions and weight of trucks increased
dramatically. However, even if the bridges designed at the time were applying truck design load
DB-18 (total weight of 34tonf) with consideration of the future increase of traffic volume and
vehicle loads, design could not predict such exceptional increase of vehicle. For example, the traffic
load of Namhae Bridge has been controlled and limited to 32.4t since 2003 after 30 years of
operation due to the appearance of fatigue cracks in the girder generated by the incessant crossing
of heavy trucks [4]. The first Jindo Bridge, the first cable-stayed bridge in Korea and also the
longest cable-stay span outside Europe at its completion in 1984, was also designed with respect to
design live load DB-18. Similarly to Namhae Bridge, the bridge was subjected to truck loads
exceeding the design load and the governmental authorities decided to improve the load carrying
capacity of the existing bridge while erecting a twin bridge (Fig. 4) designed for vehicle load of
DB-24 and DL-24.

2.2 Second Generation of Sea-Crossing Bridges in Korea (1991-1999)

The second generation of sea-crossing bridges was built for the development of islands. During this
period, the domestic bridge engineering started to secure self-reliant technology for FCM (free
cantilevering method) and steel box bridges. Bridges were essentially designed in terms of
functionality and economy, which may explain the absence of construction of cable-supported
bridges in 1990s. Another factor was the financial crisis that hit the country in 1996 and called the
implementation of IMF-mandated reforms in 1997. Fig.5 shows representative sea-crossing bridges
of the second generation. This second generation can be seen as the period of technology imitation
characterized by the lack of originality in design.

Fig. 5 Views of Onnam Bridge (1996), Seonammun Bridge (1996) and Anmyeon Bridge (1997)
As mentioned above, the collapse of Sungsu Bridge happened in 1994. This accident emphasized
the significance and necessity of maintenance system for bridges to prevent both human and
economical losses. Accordingly, in 1995, the governmental authorities issued more stringent
requirements on bridge management and operational programs including systematic visual
inspection, instrumentation, load capacity tests and field measurements. This started structural
health monitoring of bridges in Korea with stand-alone field system consisting of sensors, field
hardware and online signal transmission. Such stand-alone systems were installed on existing
bridges like Namhae and Jindo bridges in order to collect field data by full scale load capacity test
and evaluate their structural health [2,3,5,6].

2.3 Third Generation of Sea-Crossing Bridges in Korea (2000-2004)

The first years of the 21st century marked milestones in the development of sea-crossing bridges in
Korea. Differently from the second generation where economy and functionality were governing
critically the design, the third generation of sea-crossing bridges focused on aesthetics considering
the potential tourism resources offered by bridge structures. Significant achievements were thus
realized through the construction of remarkable cable-supported bridges along the coastal areas.
This allowed domestic bridge engineers to establish self-reliant technology for special bridges like
cable-stayed and trussed arch bridges. Table 1 gives a list of the sea-crossing bridges of the third
generation and Fig. 6 illustrates major bridges built during that period.

Fig. 6 Views of Seohae Bridge, Youngjong Bridge and Gwangan Bridge

Table 1 Third generation of sea-crossing bridges in Korea Youngjong Bridge, completed in
2000, is part of the Incheon
Bridge Year Characteristics (unit: m)
International Airport Highway
name Bridge type Length Main span
connecting Seoul and Incheon
Seohae 2000 Composite cable-stayed 7,310 470 International Airport. Being the first
Youngjong 2000 Self-anchored suspension 4,420 300 bridge foreign visitors meet when
Banghwa 2000 Balanced arch truss 2,559 540 arriving in Korea, special attention
Youngheung 2001 Steel cable-stayed 1,250 240 has been paid on its design with
Neukdo 2002 PSC box girder 340 160 unique and pioneering features such
Gwangan 2202 Earth-anchored suspension 7,420 500 as three-dimensionally profiled
Danhyang 2003 Rose arch 340 180 suspension cables and self-
Choyang 2003 Steel arch 317 220 anchoring. The double decks are
Samcheonpo 2003 Composite cable-stayed 436 230 Warren truss with 6 roadway lanes
Gogeum 2003 Steel arch 760 160 at the upper deck and 4 roadway
Wando-Shinji 2004 Steel plate box 840 160 and 2 train lanes at the lower deck
Shinjeodo 2004 Nielsen arch 182 182 [2,7,8,9].
Most of the bridges of the third generation are equipped with modern monitoring systems from
sensing to processing. A special feature is the integration of the health monitoring systems of
Youngjong Bridge Seohae Bridge, currently the longest cable-stayed bridge in Korea, and Banghwa
Bridge, the 27th bridge crossing Han River in Seoul, in order to reduce costs and improve the
efficiency of management [2,10]. The data collected at each bridge are processed exclusively at
each field station for real-time monitoring and detection of anomalies. But data useful for long-term
evaluation of bridge condition and periodical inspection data are transmitted through high-speed
internet line to a unique management center remote from the sites [3,4].

3. Current Bridge Construction Activities in Korea

The outstanding and rapid evolution of bridge technology in Korea has been observed throughout
three periods of sea-crossing bridges that are technology introduction, imitation and self-reliance
periods. Advances have been realized in all fields from design to construction with gradual
independency from foreign technologies. As a result, Korea can now be counted among the leading
group in bridge engineering. Especially in the domain of structural health monitoring, the systems
installed in the bridges of the third generation have become benchmarks for most of the cable-
supported bridges built worldwide.
Table 2 Recent bridge constructions in Korea Current bridge construction
Bridge Year Characteristics (unit: m) activities can be classified as the
name Bridge type Length Main span fourth generation of bridges in
Second Jindo 2005 Cable-stayed 484 344 Korea. Focus is done on
Machang 2008 Steel composite cable-stayed 1,700 400 diversification and aesthetics due
Sorok 2008 Mono-cable self-anchored suspension 1,160 250 to changes in tendering policy
Keumbit 2009 5-span bundle type cable-stayed 2,028 480 which is shifting into turnkey and
Shinwando 2009 Steel cable-stayed 430 200 proposal. Tendency is also to
Geumga 2009 Continuous 7-span extradosed 1,660 5@125 apply more rationally the current
Incheon 2009 Steel box girder cable-stayed 1,480 800 design codes through mixed
Goha-Jookgyo 2009 Steel-cable-stayed 3,060 500 application of Korean and foreign
Dolsan-Hwatae 2009 Composite cable-stayed 1,435 500 design specifications. After
Jeokgeum 2009 Earth-anchored suspension 1,340 850 successful achievements of cable-
Busan-Geoje 2010 2-pylon cable-stayed 8,200 475 stayed bridge using domestic
3-pylon cable-stayed 2@230 technology, the Korean bridge
Immersed tunnel 3,240 engineering community has also
Woonnam 2010 Extradosed 925 155 established self-reliant technology
Bukhang 2011 Steel composite cable-stayed 1,114 540 for suspension bridges. Table 2
Muyoung 2011 Continuous 5-pylon cable-stayed 860 4@160 gives a list of recent bridge
Mokpo 2011 Suspension 3,240 840 constructions in Korea of which
Gwangyang 2012 3-span suspension bridge 2,260 1,545 several examples are reviewed
Ulsan 2014 Suspension 2,970 1,150 with their special features.
3.1 Incheon Bridge
Incheon Bridge (Fig. 7), currently under final
construction stage, is a steel box girder cable-stayed
bridge, which will link Incheon International Airport with
Songdo New Town in the southern part of Incheon city.
The total bridge length will be approximately 12.3km,
including the cable-stayed bridge, approach bridges and
viaducts, and will carry six lanes of traffic across the
straits between Youngjong Island and the mainland. The
cable-stayed bridge is a 1,480 m long structure with main
span of 800m that will make it the world’s fifth longest
cable-stayed bridge at completion. The inverted pylons of
the cable-stayed bridge are supported on drilled shaft
piling foundations and rise up 238m high. The Y-shaped
pylons are reinforced concrete hollow section in a
diamond configuration which provides torsional stability
to the main span and minimizes the size of foundation.
Two planes of PPWS stay cables support a 33.4 m wide
streamlined orthotropic steel box girder. The pilecaps of
the pylons were constructed above high tide level in
precast concrete permanent formwork housings so as to
Fig. 7 Overview of Incheon Bridge allow for easy and economical construction in the marine
environment [11].
The majority of the length of the bridge is constructed as low level viaduct structures with pre-
tensioned precast 50m long concrete box girder spans. Where the alignment rises to cross the
navigation channel, precast segmental balanced cantilever approach bridges with 145m spans link
the viaducts to the cable-stayed bridge. The continuous aerodynamically shaped five-span steel box
girders have a clearance of 74m above sea level for ship passage to the Port of Incheon. Ship
collision protection is provided in the form of sacrificial dolphin structures which are configured
around the piers close to the navigation channel. The design included impact analysis and
assessment of the plastic deformations that withstand the impact energy from a 100,000DWT ship
hitting a sheet pile cell head-on at high speed [12].
The bridge is constructed over tidal flats and up to 20m depth of water. Marine deposits overly rock
stratum. All of the foundations are large diameter cast-in-place concrete piles disposed in the
weathered or soft rock stratum. Korea being located in a region of moderate seismicity, the bridge is
designed for a 1,000-year return period event, which governs the design of the substructures. In
addition, the bridge can be subject to typhoon wind loading, which is significant for the high level
structures. In particular, wind buffeting loads and aerodynamic stability have been important factors
in the design of the cable-stayed bridge.
The project is being procured by the Korea Expressway Corporation on a BOT (Build Operate
Transfer) basis. As a fast track project, the design was prepared as a sequence of packages in
accordance with the demands of the construction schedule.

3.2 Busan-Geoje Fixed Link

The construction of Busan-Geoje fixed link, a motorway between the city of Busan and the island
of Geoje, started in 2004 and is expected to be completed in December, 2010. This project will
provide an 8.2km-long four-lane fixed link of which 3.7km of undersea tunnel and 2km of cable-
stayed bridges to replace the current route of 140km needing ferry travel. The immersed tunnel
located in a strong seismic area will rank among the longest in the world to date and will be the
deepest road tunnel ever constructed at a maximum water depth of 50m (Fig. 8). The choice for
undersea tunnel was governed by the request of the Navy for structures minimizing at the most the
obstruction of the main navigation channel. The tunnel is made of 18 precast tunnel elements of
50,000t that are floated into position and sunk into a pre-dredged trench. Securing water-tightness
of the joints, preparing the tunnel supports and placing the sections are thus technological
challenges to be faced during construction [13].
Fig. 8 Mooring of precast tunnel elements and drainage of immersed tunnel element chamber

The site being directly exposed to the South Sea, the design of the cable-stayed bridges has to
accommodate harsh environmental conditions like typhoons and high tides. The first bridge is a
three-pylon cable-stayed bridge with two main spans of 230m and the second bridge is a two-pylon
cable-stayed bridge with main span of 475m for total lengths of 2,363.5m and 1,856m, respectively
(Fig. 9). Both cable-stayed bridges are founded on caissons fully prefabricated offsite and
transported to the site. The concrete pylons are designed with slightly inward curving legs. The
curvature of the legs is limited by a “no tension” criteria for dead load and the use of standard
climbing form equipment. The bridge deck is a traditional steel-concrete composite girder. The
approach bridges are composite girder arranged with 90m spans. All elements of the approaches are
prefabricated offsite in three elements, caisson, pier shaft and deck and will be transported on site
using a 3000t floating crane. AASHTO LRFD (Load and Resistance Factor Design) is applied as
design codes [14]. The project is being implemented along the lines of the privately financed BOT
model and executed through Fast Track together with PMIS (Project Management Information
System).

Fig. 9 Overview of Busan-Geoje fixed link and construction sites of the cable-stayed bridges

3.3 Sorok Bridge

Fig. 10 View of Sorok Bridge
Sorok Bridge is a mono-cable self-anchored suspension
bridge with total length of 470m (110+250+110m) lying in a
1,160m roadway linking Sorok Island to the mainland. This
is the second self-anchored suspension bridge that has been
constructed in Korea.
The bridge was erected by means of the hanger pulling
method instead of the jack-down method to avoid the use of
jacking-down system on temporary supports and ease the
erection of the girder [15].

3.4 Jeokgeum Bridge

Jeokgeum Bridge (sag ratio=1/9) is a suspension bridge with 850m main span, concrete pylons and
stiffening girders. This is the 11th bridge of the sea belt located in Goheung peninsula on the
southern coast of Korea (Fig. 11). The completed bridge will support 2 motorway lanes and the
girder is designed considering future extension to 4 lanes to cope with increasing traffic. The cables
have diameter of 491mm, consist of 380 bundles of parallel wires and 19 strands, the height of
pylon will be 137.8m. The distance between the cable planes is 17.5m and the total width of the
girder is 19.7m. Its span-length-to-width ratio of 43.15 (= 850/19.7), which constitutes an important
wind design parameter, is the fifth largest ratio in the world and demonstrates the remarkable
slenderness of the suspended span [16].

Fig. 11 Overview of Yeosu-Goheung sea belt and drawing of Jeokgeum Bridge

3.5 Gwangyang Bridge

Gwangyang Bridge or 1545 Bridge is a three-span suspension bridge of 357.5+1545+357.5m spans
which, at a total of 2,260 metres in length, will be the third longest in the world (Fig. 12). The
bridge span has been decided to commemorate the birth of a famous Korean sea hero, Admiral Sun-
Shin Lee, and to allow passage of 18,000TEU-class container ships. Preliminary design commenced
in 2006 with detailed design work taking place throughout 2007. This bridge completely planned
and designed with domestic technology will be a milestone in the history of suspension bridge in
Korea owing to the experience gathered through Youngjong, Gwangan, Sorok and Jeokgeum
bridges [17].

Fig. 12 Overview of Gwangyang Bridge

Reducing the self-weight and construction costs, securing aerodynamic stability and introducing
innovative construction methods were the foremost issues for the conception of this bridge.
Accordingly, twin box girder is adopted since it enables to improve the aerodynamic stability of the
whole structure and reduce the amount of steel. Connection with the approach sections is handled
by gradual change of the girder from twin box into single box along a length of 150m. During
preliminary design, the cross-sectional shape of the girder was optimized to maximize the
aerodynamic stability and to minimize the drag force. Iterative tests led to a twin box girder section
with gap of 4.3m for the central span of the bridge [18].
The H-shaped concrete towers will rise at a height of 270m, the tallest concrete towers in the world.
Trapezoid shape is adopted for the section of the towers owing to its aerodynamic stability. The
outer shape combines curved and straight lines to achieve consistency with the streamline-shaped
twin box stiffening girder. Moreover, floating girder system without expansion of the joints is
adopted to provide better performance in longitudinal movements and avoid the installation of soffit
cross beam under the stiffening girder at the towers. The height from sea level to the underside of
the deck is in the order of 85 metres to allow for the largest container ships to pass safely beneath
the bridge [19].
High-strength steel of 1,860MPa will be applied for the main cable for the first time in the world. This
choice makes it possible to reduce the self-weight of the main cable and decrease the drag force by
minimizing the area of the cable. High cable sag ratio of 1/9 is selected. Rectangular arrangement has
been chosen for the strands so as to reduce the required number of strands. This choice enables to
realize slim saddle and anchorage together with enhanced air spinning (A/S) speed.
Innovative construction methods are also planned to overcome the difficulties expected in installing
the main cable, erecting the towers and twin box girder. An improved free hanging A/S method will
be applied. In this innovated method, the strand is formed by pulling out with a tension smaller than
free-hand tension while the cable former is supporting partially the weight of the wire. The towers
will be erected by auto-climbing form method using automatic climbing form with scaffolding
system. The plan of verticality of the towers is secured by integrating real-time GPS system and
laser measurement system. Swing method is adopted to erect the twin box girder using a lifting
device running on the main cable and hanger rope with fixation to the hanger rope, which allows
the navigable channel of 500m to be opened all along the construction [17]. The devised structural
systems and construction methods chosen for Gwangyang Bridge will undoubtedly constitute future
standards for the design of long-span suspension bridges.

3.6 Ulsan Bridge

Fig. 12 Drawings of Ulsan Bridge
Ulsan Bridge is an earth-anchored
suspension bridge (303+1,150+355m) at the
entrance of Ulsan Harbour. The approaches
are traditional steel box girders and
prestressed concrete beams. The bridge will
support 4 traffic lanes and cross a 300m
wide navigation channel.
Two designs were initially investigated for
spanning Ulsan Harbour. The first proposal
was a cable-stayed bridge with central span
of 725m. The second and selected proposal
is a single span suspension bridge with main
span of 1,150m.

This choice was conducted considering optimal bridge alignment, safety of navigation, preservation
of natural environment and economy of construction [20].
The 203m high pylons are plane frame reinforced concrete structures with inclined legs and 3
transverse beams exhibiting rectangular hollowed section with rounded edges. The length of the
main cables will be approximately 2,000m from anchorage to anchorage with distance of 23.5m
between the cables and sag ratio of 1/9. High-strength galvanized steel wires of 1,960MPa and
diameter of 5.35mm will be applied. The main cables will be erected using the same method of
Gwangyang Bridge. The stiffening girder is a 25.6m wide streamlined steel box girder with depth of
3.5m. The girder will be erected by segments of 15m using lifting devices mounted on the main
cables. This bridge having been designed after Gwangyang Bridge will apply all the new standards
considered for Gwangyang Bridge.

4. R&D Programs Related to Bridge Technology

As mentioned in the previous chapter, Korea is undertaking unprecedented bridge constructions all
over the country, and particularly sea-crossing cable-supported bridges. In order to support such
activities and sustain the next generation of bridges to be constructed in the peninsula, the Korean
R&D community agreed with the necessity to develop and construct a new generation of high
performance facilities by means of enhanced materials, advanced structural systems and
technologies as well as upgraded or improved specifications or standards in a lifetime perspective.
Accordingly, in order to support such activities and prepare for the next generation of bridge
technology, systematic construction R&D programs have been and are being launched under the
supervision of the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) or through in-house
programs. Major bridge related R&D programs are reviewed [10].
4.1 Super Bridge 200
Bridge 200 was a comprehensive research project of the Korea Institute of Construction Technology
(KICT, 2002~2006) intending to develop bridge technologies that extend the lifetime of bridge to
200 years and to produce ultra high-strength concrete exhibiting strength 5 times larger than current
concretes through 5 key technologies related to the durability of concrete, development of high-
durable structures, and reinforcement techniques of existing bridges. This project having been
successfully completed in 2006, Super Bridge 200 has been launched in 2007 as a succeeding
project involved in the top-brand projects of the Ministry of Sciences and Technology. Super Bridge
200 targets the development of bridge sustainable for 200 years by exploiting the so-developed
ultra-high strength concrete to cable-stayed bridge structures. The expected outcomes are reduction
of the maintenance costs by 20% and extension of the lifespan of the bridges by 200%.
The technologies that have been developed through Bridge 200 and to be improved through Super
Bridge 200 are as follows: (1) long-life deck systems for bridges: extension of the actual lifespan of
decks by more than 100% by developing various new types of decks; (2) strengthening methods for
deteriorated concrete bridges: establishment of constructable and cost-efficient strengthening
techniques; (3) technology for durable concrete bridges: inhibition of the degradation of concrete
through innovative materials; (4) technology for durable bridge foundations: prevention of scour
and strengthening of bridge foundations; (5) design methodology for durable bridge deck pavement:
design technologies and high durable pavement materials considering the domestic climatic
conditions, moving vehicle characteristics, structure of the bridge deck and material characteristics.

4.2 High Performance Construction Material Research Center (HIPER-CONMAT)

HIPER-CONMAT is a research center established at the Research Institute of Industrial Science and
Technology (RIST) in the form of a research institute–industry cooperative program extending for a
period of 5 years. The Center is involved in the Construction Core Technology R&D Projects of
MLTM. The vision of the center is summarized by the term BEST, standing for Beautiful,
Economical, Sustainable, Totalized Infrastructure.
Since technologies exploiting high performance construction materials are the most effective and
basic means to construct, repair and maintain high quality social infrastructures with economical
efficiency, this program intends to develop materials and corresponding applications for 3 fields of
construction materials that are high performance steel, FRP/FRC and innovative materials for the
creation of new space. In details, HIPER-CONMAT intends to (1) develop high performance steel
of 500, 600 and 800 MPa and corresponding application technologies on infrastructures, (2)
implement hybrid bridge system exhibiting high performance, accelerated construction and reduced
LCC using FRP/FRC, and (3) develop recyclable, nature-friendly and high performance
construction materials for the creation of new space and corresponding application technologies.

4.3 Korea Wind Engineering Research Center (KWERC)

KWERC was selected in 2005 as the research program for Honam/Jeju region involved in Regional
Technology Innovation R&D Project of MLTM. The Center intends to develop wind-related
technology for sea-crossing bridges in the southwestern coastal area and regional disaster-
prevention technology. The research team of KWERC is composed of major regional universities
and industries together with the participation of foreign research institutes and the cooperation of
regional and governmental authorities.
Among the projects of KWERC, the items directly related to bridge technology are as follows: (1)
promotion of sea-crossing bridge construction projects in the Southwestern area and creation of
regionally specific construction projects: provision of representative regional R&D center that will
be the motor of the recognition of Jeonnam Province as the Mecca of sea-crossing bridge through
the support of key technologies to the sea-crossing bridge construction projects in the Southwestern
area; and, (2) leading of the advancement of wind analysis of long-span sea-crossing bridge in the
Southwestern area and wind-resistance design technologies: to play the role of technological
knowledge warehouse for the sea-crossing bridge projects promoted by MLTM in the Province of
Jeonnam and to generate economical benefits through the rationalization of design, construction
and maintenance of sea-crossing bridges.
4.4 Korea Bridge Design & Engineering Research Center (KBRC)
KBRC was established at Seoul National University through a national research program launched
in 2004 by MLTM according to the long-term Technology Roadmap for the advancement of bridge
technology. KBRC in partnership with industry, academia and research institutes developed and
implemented more durable, economical and safer bridge structures. Major products of the program
are intelligent bridges of the next generation that last longer in a lifetime perspective and have
lower maintenance demands or maintenance-free bridges in harmony with innovative and advanced
technologies, and ecological requirements. Another outcome of importance is the establishment of
reliability-based code and standards in accordance with the international codes. The standards have
been developed and verified using the database and experience gathered since 30 years. The Center
is currently deliberating the enactment of the so-developed standards as official bridge design codes
of Korea.

4.5 Super-Long-Span Bridge R&BD Project

The “Super-long-span bridge” project has been launched this year under the supervision of Korea
Expressway Corporation. The four major programs defined for the R&BD project are: (1)
development of key technologies for planning and design of long-span bridges, (2) development of
high-performance cable systems and high-performance materials for long-span bridges; (3)
development of highly efficient and innovative cable erection equipments and methods, and cost
effective construction methods for offshore mega foundations; and (4) development of IT-based
disaster mitigation and maintenance technologies. Details of these programs will be decided in a
short delay.

5. Conclusions
During a short period, bridge technology in Korea has recognized outstanding development. Owing
to the governmental policy aiming to achieve balanced regional development, unprecedented bridge
construction activities are conducted throughout the peninsula, especially, in the southwestern coast
to link some of the 3,000 islands with the mainland. Korean bridge engineers are now designing and
constructing bridges using domestic and self-reliant technology, which has today reached a level
enabling to realize the erection of numerous sea-crossing bridges counting among the longest in the
world like Incheon Bridge and Gwangyang Bridge.
On the other hand, in the years to come, bridge design and maintenance will be driven by
requirements to keep traffic moving, increase capacity and reduce delays, respect ecological
exigencies and keep both initial and long-term costs as low as possible. Therefore, in the future,
creating sustainable and maintenance-free bridges will be the foremost challenge for bridge
designers and engineers.
Accordingly, this paper presented the evolution of bridge technology in Korea and national R&D
programs aiming the preparation for the next generation of bridge technology. Past and current
bridge construction activities have been reviewed to highlight the technical achievements of the
Korean bridge engineering community and the ambitious programs launched in a context of
unprecedented bridge construction projects and technological accomplishments.

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