Namhae-Yeosu Undersea Tunnel Project Gains Momentum... Selection of Qualified Firm for Detailed Design

DL E&C Presents 'The Path to Tourism Revitalization

＋The Path to Industrial Development' Linearly

The DL E&C consortium has been selected as the qualified contractor for the detailed design of the Namhae-Yeosu undersea tunnel.

According to Namhae County in Gyeongnam Province and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the DL E&C consortium differentiated itself by proposing a different alignment from competing companies POSCO E&C (83.46 points) and Lotte Construction (76.46 points), receiving a high technical score of 90.46 points.

Originally, the Namhae-Yeosu undersea tunnel was planned as a single route connecting Seomyeon in Namhae County and Shindeok in Yeosu according to the basic design plan. Accordingly, POSCO and Lotte Construction proposed a straight alignment without obstacles, which was the shortest route, instead of the originally curved basic plan.

In contrast, DL E&C proposed “a complete connection of one plus one: 1＋1.” They kept the original Seosang route as the “path for tourism revitalization” and added another route connecting Namsang-ri located northwest as the “path for industrial development.”

Location map of the subsea tunnel project section connecting Namhae, Gyeongnam and Yeosu.

This was inspired by the ongoing difficulties in the development plan of the Junghyeon area, embodying a philosophy that respects the people (人) who use the road while overcoming technical limitations.

Additionally, while the basic plan included a four-face excavation plan, the DL E&C team devised an eight-face simultaneous excavation plan through connecting passages, enabling an early opening plan (13 months earlier).

The entire tunnel section is planned with insulation and fire-resistant concrete to ensure fire safety, and seismic performance is upgraded to the highest grade, designing a robust undersea tunnel structure with a design life exceeding 2,400 years.

Moreover, by integrating artificial intelligence rock analysis and BIM (Building Information Modeling) alignment review technology, the optimal route was selected, and the blasting method (NATM) was chosen to improve excavation efficiency.

After establishing the undersea tunnel team in October, Namhae County collected opinions from various departments and residents and conveyed Namhae County’s requests during the design phase (▲design to induce traffic flow dispersion ▲installation of a promotional center and observatory at the Namhae County starting point ▲plan to use generated soil in Namhae County ▲installation of the site office within Namhae County ▲aquarium production inside the undersea tunnel ▲installation of a utility tunnel, etc.) to the three proposing companies.

Thanks to this prompt response, many of Namhae County’s requests were reflected in the recent proposals, and notably, DL E&C also presented a plan to establish Korea’s first integrated tunnel-type complex cultural tourism platform.

The DL E&C consortium plans to complete the detailed design within the next six months and start construction within this year. The construction period is 3,030 days from the start date, and the undersea tunnel is expected to be fully opened as early as 2031. The total project cost is 697.4 billion KRW.

Jang Chung-nam, the county governor, said, “From now on, the undersea tunnel construction will officially begin, and we will continue to consult with DL E&C to ensure that Namhae County’s requests are well reflected during the detailed design and construction phases.” He added, “We will derive a specialized comprehensive development plan unique to Namhae County in preparation for the undersea tunnel era and establish it as the central axis of the Namhaean era.”

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