Vehicle Traffic on Paldang Dam Upper Passage Suspended for 3 Years Starting January Next Year

Detour Routes When Access to Paldang Dam Management Bridge Is Closed

Gyeonggi Province will completely prohibit vehicle traffic on the Paldang Dam management bridge (the upper part of the dam) from 2024 to 2026 due to repair and reinforcement work in accordance with safety-related laws and regulations.

Completed in 1973, the Paldang Dam management bridge is a nationally important facility and serves as the upper dam passage crossing over Paldang Dam (from Joan-myeon, Namyangju-si to Baealmi-dong, Hanam-si). It is 378 meters long and has two lanes.

If drivers avoid using the Paldang Dam management bridge and instead use detours such as the Paldang Bridge, the travel distance increases by up to 9.5 km.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. signed an agreement and since December 2006, allowed passage only for passenger cars and small freight vehicles on holidays and public holidays. As a result, up to 4,000 vehicles per day use the Paldang Dam management bridge.

However, a detailed safety inspection by the Korea Infrastructure Safety & Technology Corporation in March last year revealed that the structural safety of the entire dam needs to be upgraded, leading Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. to decide on repair and reinforcement work.

To minimize complaints due to the suspension of traffic on the Paldang Dam management bridge, Gyeonggi Province plans to actively inform users starting from October this year by utilizing all available media such as traffic broadcasts, terrestrial TV, banners, navigation systems, electronic display boards, and G-BUS.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "Before the completion of the comprehensive repair and reinforcement work on Paldang Dam, we will consult with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., Namyangju-si, and Hanam-si to decide whether to resume traffic on the Paldang Dam management bridge after the work is completed."

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