Seoul City Launches Full Pedestrianization of Jamsu Bridge as Part of 'Oh Hangang Renaissance 2.0' Initiative

Issuance of Service Contract for Feasibility Study and Basic Plan Establishment

The day is not far off when people can stroll over the Han River on the car-free Jamsu Bridge. Seoul City has launched full-scale work to fully pedestrianize Jamsu Bridge, targeting completion by 2026. This is one of the core projects of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's 'Great Han River Project.'

The '2022 Car-Free Jamsugyo Walking Festival' is bustling with citizens. Running every Sunday until October 30, this festival offers a variety of programs including flea markets, street performances, food trucks, and outdoor cinemas. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

According to Seoul City on the 24th, the city recently commissioned a "Feasibility Study and Basic Plan Establishment Service for the Full Pedestrianization of Jamsu Bridge." Following the launch of an international planning and design competition last month, the city has officially embarked on efforts to pedestrianize Jamsu Bridge.

Through this commissioned service, Seoul City plans to comprehensively review the proposals submitted in the planning and design competition and establish a project plan. The competition runs until the 29th of this month, with results to be announced on the 13th of next month.

The full pedestrianization of Jamsu Bridge is one of the key projects of the Great Han River Project (Han River Renaissance 2.0) announced by Mayor Oh in March this year. Jamsu Bridge will completely halt vehicle traffic by 2026 and be transformed into an exclusive pedestrian bridge, serving as a promenade and a venue for small-scale performances.

Completed in 1976, Jamsu Bridge connects Seobinggo-dong in Yongsan-gu and Banpo-dong in Seocho-gu. With a width of 18 meters and a length of 765 meters, it is the shortest and lowest bridge over the Han River, making it easily accessible on foot. This is why Seoul City chose Jamsu Bridge as the first site for full pedestrianization.

An unusual fact is that another bridge, Banpo Bridge, passes over Jamsu Bridge. Jamsu Bridge was built to connect the Seoul Express Bus Terminal, which was newly relocated to Banpo during the development of the Gangnam area, with downtown Gangbuk. In the early 1980s, as the population in Gangnam increased significantly, Banpo Bridge was additionally constructed above it.

A Seoul City official explained, "Jamsu Bridge is Korea’s first two-level bridge structure, and since the upper Banpo Bridge acts like a roof providing shade, it has great potential as a space to enjoy the Han River."

Jamsu Bridge has already hosted the successful "Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Ttubak Ttubak Festival," and on April 29th, Louis Vuitton held its first pre-fall fashion show (a transitional collection presented before the fall/winter collection) there. A public opinion survey conducted last November showed that over 80% of citizens supported converting Jamsu Bridge into a pedestrian-only bridge.

Hong Seon-gi, Director of Future Space Planning at Seoul City, said, “Once Jamsu Bridge is fully pedestrianized, citizens will be able to walk and enjoy the closest point to the Han River surface whenever they want. We will collaborate with experts from various fields to create a Jamsu Bridge space that maximizes this new experience.”

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