"No Second Jeongjagyo Bridge Collapse"... Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Develops Safety Management Measures for Facilities Over 30 Years Old

Jeongjagyo Bridge Collapse, Causes Include Aging and Inadequate Maintenance
Mandatory Implementation of Detailed Inspections
Shortened Repair Deadlines and Strengthened Penalties

The collapse accident of the Jeongja Bridge sidewalk section in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in 2 casualties including 1 death last April, was found to be caused by bridge aging and insufficient maintenance. Accordingly, the government has decided to establish measures to strengthen facility safety management, including mandatory detailed inspections for facilities over 30 years old, shortening repair and reinforcement deadlines, and strengthening penalties.

Last April, an accident occurred where one person died and another was injured due to the collapse of the pedestrian walkway on the bridge in Jeongja-dong, Bundang. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 11th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced the results of the cause investigation of the Jeongja Bridge sidewalk collapse accident in Seongnam-si and related system improvement plans at the Sejong Government Complex. First, the Korea Infrastructure Safety & Technology Corporation, which conducted the investigation, concluded that the Jeongja Bridge sidewalk collapse accident occurred due to multiple complex causes: deterioration of road pavement → action of degradation factors (physical, chemical) → concrete deterioration → reduction of rebar anchorage strength → excessive tensile force beyond anchorage strength → rebar pullout, etc.

In particular, the loss of adhesion between the lower concrete of the road section and the tensile rebar of the cantilever section was identified as the direct cause of the collapse. The concrete core sampling and material test results of Jeongja Bridge showed that the road section concrete was damaged by freeze-thaw cycles and deicing agents, reducing the adhesion strength of the rebar supporting the cantilever section.

Furthermore, during the inspection process, timely repair and reinforcement measures considering structural characteristics such as pavement cracks, sagging at the cantilever end, cracks and damage caused by freeze-thaw, efflorescence on the slab underside, and increased inflow of rainwater were found to be insufficient.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport formed a ‘Facility Safety Inspection and Diagnosis System Improvement Task Force’ including structural and diagnostic experts and prepared system improvement plans such as ▲strengthening the role of facility management entities ▲strengthening the role of inspection performers ▲advancing the facility management system.

First, the ‘Facility Safety and Maintenance Management Plan’ will be revised to include a continuous management plan. A standard plan document containing guidance on securing personnel and resources, management methods, and inducement to use unit price contracts will be prepared in the second half of this year.

The repair deadline for D and E grade facilities will also be shortened. Currently, repair and reinforcement deadlines are applied as 2 years for planning + 3 years for repair, but going forward, it will be shortened to 1 year for planning + 1 year for repair (extension possible upon justification). Grade D indicates a state requiring urgent repair and reinforcement, and grade E means immediate prohibition of use and need for reinforcement or reconstruction.

Penalties for serious defects caused by insufficient repair and reinforcement will also be strengthened. The current penalty of imprisonment for up to 2 years or a fine of up to 20 million KRW will be changed to imprisonment for up to 2 years or a fine of up to 100 million KRW.

Additionally, the government plans to form an advisory meeting on the 18th to prepare countermeasures to improve the low-price bidding system, which is pointed out as a cause of poor construction quality.

The role of inspection performers will also be strengthened. This includes conducting detailed safety inspections for 2nd and 3rd class facilities over 30 years old, strengthening safety grade calculation standards, and specifying methods and procedures for regular safety inspections. Detailed guidelines will be prepared in the second half of this year. Also, the qualification requirements for responsible engineers of regular safety inspections will be raised from beginner to intermediate level starting from the first half of next year.

Moreover, from the first half of next year, when granting permission to install occupancy objects (such as water pipes and sewage pipes) on bridges, a structural safety confirmation procedure (submission of structural calculation documents) will be required. Also, from the second half of this year, the maximum fine for failure to conduct safety inspections, which was 20 million KRW, will be raised to 50 million KRW.

Kim Gyu-cheol, Director of Technical Safety Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “Taking the Jeongja Bridge collapse accident as an opportunity, we plan to strengthen safety management of aging facilities, promptly improve related systems across the entire facility safety management system, and thoroughly implement recurrence prevention measures through continuous management.”

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