Gimpo·Paju Hangang Tunnel Excavated with TBM Without Blasting

Construction Period Blasting Reduced from 24 to 17 Months
Future Expansion of TBM Encouraged... K-TBM Development Also Planned

On the 13th, at the 'Expressway No. 400 Gimpo~Paju Construction Section 2' in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, the largest shield TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) in Korea was commissioned, with the 'Dudeoji (Double Safer and Smarter Underground Expressway Construction)' Hangang Tunnel TBM undergoing a test run. The largest TBM in Korea, used for excavating the 'Hangang Tunnel' section of the Metropolitan Area 2nd Ring Expressway between Gimpo and Paju, began excavation on this day to construct the country's first 2.98 km-long Hangang underwater road tunnel connecting Gimpo and Paju. Photo by Kim Hyun-min / Paju kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The section of the Seoul Metropolitan Area Second Ring Expressway between Gimpo and Paju, which includes the Han River crossing road tunnel, will be constructed using the ‘TBM’ (Tunnel Boring Machine) method, known for its vibration- and noise-free operation as well as high safety and efficiency.

On the 13th, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong held a commemorative ceremony for the TBM tunneling of the Han River tunnel along with officials from the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement.

The TBM method refers to a mechanical excavation technique that uses a cutterhead equipped with multiple disc cutters to crush rock under pressure by rotation. Compared to the traditional blasting excavation method, it produces almost no vibration or noise, ensuring safety and minimizing environmental impact.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport decided to proceed with excavation using a large-diameter TBM with a diameter of 14.01 meters for the Han River crossing road tunnel. This is the largest TBM method ever used domestically, and the construction period is expected to be shortened by about 7 months compared to the 24 months required for blasting excavation.

On this day, a naming ceremony was also held for the TBM machine, which was named ‘Dudeoji’ (Mole). The name means a ‘twice safer underground tunnel’ and was inspired by overseas naming practices that consider such names as bringing good luck to the project.

Won Hee-ryong (center), Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kim Il-hwan, Vice President of Korea Expressway Corporation, and other guests are performing at the 'Gimpo-Paju Hangang Tunnel TBM Excavation Ceremony' held on the afternoon of the 13th in Songchon-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. / Paju - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Ministry plans to continue promoting the expansion of safe and eco-friendly TBM usage. In particular, it aims to activate TBM use mainly for underground tunnels passing through urban areas and soft ground, such as the concentric section of GTX-A.

Furthermore, considering that Korea’s TBM technology level is only about 30% of that of advanced countries and that design and manufacturing are 100% dependent on overseas sources, the Ministry plans to develop a Korean-style medium- and large-diameter tunnel boring machine (K-TBM) through R&D research in the future.

Minister Won Hee-ryong stated, "We will promote TBM activation so that residents can worry less about noise and vibration during tunnel construction," adding, "By improving design standards and national standards, and fostering an industrial ecosystem including in-house parts production and manufacturing to enhance TBM competitiveness, we will become a country possessing world-class TBM technology."

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