Gwanak-gu to Add Road Heating Systems at Six Locations Including Guam-ro This Year

Smart Road Heating Cables to Be Operated at 40 Locations
Pilot Project for 'Anti-Icing Pavement' Using Non-Freezing Additives to Be Launched

Recently, various accidents and casualties occurred, including a chain collision involving 44 vehicles, due to 'black ice' formed as roads froze from the cold wave and overnight snowfall.

In response, Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) is focusing on measures to prevent winter road accidents such as those caused by black ice.

'Black ice' refers to the freezing phenomenon where the road surface freezes thinly due to rain or frost when the road surface temperature is 2 to 3℃ lower than the air temperature. As its name suggests, it has the same dark color as the road, making it difficult to visually detect, unlike ice formed by snowfall.

Since 2021, the district has been installing 'smart road heating cables' that maintain the road surface temperature above freezing on downhill lanes and other areas prone to freezing accidents.

Heating cables have been installed and operated at 34 locations, including Ssukgogae-ro, which has heavy traffic and frequent freezing. This year, heating cables will be installed at six locations, including Guam-gil, a major access road used by residents of nearby large apartment complexes.

In particular, the district secured 200 million KRW from the special disaster safety grant this year to conduct a pilot project aimed at alleviating residents' inconvenience caused by freezing.

At the project sites vulnerable to freezing, road anti-icing pavement construction using asphalt mixed with a 'non-freezing additive' will be carried out, with plans to expand the application after verifying its effectiveness.

Additionally, on representative freezing-prone roads such as Nangok-ro and Hoam-ro, the district is making every effort to prevent road freezing by pre-applying de-icing agents and increasing road patrol frequency.

Mayor Park Junhee stated, “Since road safety is directly linked to public safety, we will do our best to use all means to prevent black ice formation and protect the lives and property of our residents. We ask all residents to reduce speed and drive defensively in areas at risk of road freezing.”

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