Gyeongbuk Province Conducts Safety Inspection of Suspension Bridges to Prevent Accidents in Advance

The view of Yongdugyo Suspension Bridge in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Gyeongbuk Province conducted a 'Suspension Bridge Safety Management Inspection' targeting four cities and counties (Yeongju, Sangju, Chilgok, Uljin) within the province from January 24 to February 8.

This inspection focused on safety checks and maintenance management of suspension bridges, which have recently increased in construction by local governments but lack safety inspection and maintenance standards, raising concerns about safety blind spots.

Suspension bridges are mainly installed in scenic locations such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. Since 2010, their numbers have rapidly increased, currently totaling 196 nationwide, with 39 located in Gyeongbuk.

The safety inspection revealed 16 major safety management deficiencies for suspension bridges, including ▲non-designation as Class 3 facilities for accident prevention ▲neglect of safety inspections and insufficient repairs and reinforcements (poor maintenance of main towers, railings, floor frames, etc.) ▲lack of ordinances for public facility management.

Accordingly, Gyeongbuk Province notified the relevant institutions to improve and address the inspection findings and informed all cities and counties of the results to prevent recurrence of similar cases.

Kim Jung-kwon, Director of Disaster Safety at Gyeongbuk Province, stated, “We will take this safety inspection as an opportunity to strengthen the suspension bridge safety management system and do our best to protect the lives and safety of residents by preventing various disaster safety accidents.”

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