Gwangju City Takes Thorough Measures to Minimize Citizen Inconvenience During Baegun Overpass Demolition Project

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 14th that since the groundbreaking ceremony for the demolition of Baegun Overpass on the 4th of last month, the Gwangju Urban Railway Construction Headquarters, Transportation Construction Bureau, National Police Agency, Road Traffic Authority, Southern Police, Nam-gu District Office, and the construction company have been holding frequent on-site meetings and implementing follow-up measures related to the overpass control.

First, the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters blocked traffic to demolish the Baegun Overpass, installed protective facilities to prevent falling debris, and proceeded with breaking the asphalt on the bridge. Currently, they are conducting drilling work to lift the upper slab of the bridge.

The Urban Railway Construction Headquarters plans to complete the slab demolition by next month.

From mid-next month until September, the bridge deck (girders and piers) will be sequentially dismantled, and starting in October, the retaining walls on the inclined sections at the start and end points will be removed in phases, aiming to complete the demolition of Baegun Overpass by November.

Additionally, Gwangju City and related agencies have secured one additional lane each on the side of Pureungil Park, in front of Nam-gu Office, and in front of Donga Hospital in preparation for traffic restrictions on Baegun Overpass. They have prohibited left turns at Baegun Square and instead allowed left turns at five surrounding intersections, adjusting the signal systems accordingly.

For the five main roads leading into Baegun Square, traffic signs were updated in advance to guide detours, pavement guide lines were installed, additional traffic lights were set up, and the routes of city buses No. 06 and Suwan 12 were partially changed.

In particular, even after the demolition work began, traffic police officers and guides have been stationed at Baegun Square and surrounding detour roads during peak commuting hours to actively manage traffic control and promote the use of detours.

Due to increased traffic volume on surrounding detour roads caused by the demolition, the signal cycles and timings at a total of 26 intersections, including Pungam, Hyodeok, Yongsan, Hakun, Duam ICs on the 2nd Ring Road, and around Baegun Square, were adjusted to rebuild the coordination system.

Furthermore, traffic situation monitoring, citizen inconvenience reporting, and traffic safety inspections have been conducted, implementing supplementary measures such as installing traffic safety facilities, pavement guidance facilities, signage, and lane allocation.

By establishing this detour traffic system, the traffic flow in the Baegun Square section, which was expected to experience congestion due to the Urban Railway Line 2 construction, Baegun Overpass demolition, and underpass construction, has entered an adaptation phase.

Going forward, since traffic congestion is expected when cranes occupy lanes during the bridge deck demolition, work will be carried out during late-night or early morning hours. Additionally, the pedestrian crossing location at Juwol Intersection will be adjusted next month.

One additional lane will be secured in front of Yangwoo Naeanae Apartment, and the traffic situation around Baegun Square will be continuously monitored for proactive response.

Gwangju City expects that by the end of November, when the Baegun Overpass demolition is completed, the section from Baegun Square to Juwol Intersection will be expanded to 11 lanes in both directions, somewhat improving traffic congestion.

An Juhyun, Construction Manager of the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters, said, “Congestion is inevitable during the demolition of Baegun Overpass, so we kindly ask that drivers use surrounding roads as detours whenever possible. We will continue to strengthen cooperation with related agencies such as the police through regular on-site inspections to minimize traffic inconvenience.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.