Seogang Bridge or Grand Seogang Bridge () is a six-lane two-way bridge over the Han River in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. The bridge links the Mapo and

Yeongdeungpo Yeongdeungpo District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a shamanic rite. The third sy ...

districts. It is supported in the middle as it passes over the protected islets of Bamseom.

History

Construction of Soegang Bridge began in 1980, but was halted after 1983. Construction resumed 10 years later in 1993 , and the bridge opened at the end of 1996, absorbing traffic due to the partial closure of Yanghwa Bridge. It was initially designed as a cable-stayed bridge, but due to the financial problems of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the unsecured connection road, the construction was halted in 1983 with only 17 piers having been built. Later, due to the hosting of the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were repres ...

, construction was no longer a budget priority and the partially constructed bridge was neglected for 10 years. It also earned the stigma of being called 'the hideous sight of Seoul and the monster of the Han River. Construction resumed in 1993 to relieve Seoul's traffic problems. However, because the bridge was being built through Bamseom, there was opposition from environmental groups who were concerned that migratory birds would disappear, and the construction method was changed to reflect this. In the 150m section where Bamseom is located, it was decided to build a Nielsen arch bridge. The remaining sections were to be constructed using a continuous extrusion method that pushes out concrete boxes, and the Gangbuk section was to be constructed with a steel box bridge. Additionally, to protect migratory birds, construction was halted from April to June when migratory birds breed.

Timeline

* June 7, 1980 : Construction began * December 30, 1996 : Yanghwa Bridge opened early due to some traffic restrictions. However, at that time, the northern end of Sogang Bridge was only accessible via Gangbyeonbuk-ro. * April 30, 1997 : A temporary bridge was installed connecting the northern end of Sogang Bridge and Sinchon Intersection ahead of the demolition of the old Yanghwa Bridge. * October 1998 : The access road to the northern end of Soegang Bridge opened, and the temporary bridge was demolished.

Soegang Bridge and Bamseom Island

Soegang Bridge is a route that crosses Bamseom, a famous migratory bird destination. There is an arch-shaped structure built in this section, indicating that this is Bamseom. In the early days of the opening of Soegang Bridge, it was pointed out that the Bamseom ecosystem was being damaged by noise and by exhaust from vehicles passing over Soegang Bridge..

Gallery

Image:Yeouido Surroundings Map.png Image:2000년대_초반_서울소방_소방공무원(소방관)_활동_사진_한강풍경.jpg Image:Seogang Bridge and Bukhansan from Bamseom.jpg, Seogang Bridge and

Bukhansan Bukhansan, alternatively Pukhan-san (, ), or Bukhan Mountain, is a mountain on the northern periphery of Seoul, South Korea. There are three major peaks, Baegundae , Insubong , Mangyeongdae . Because of its height and the fact that it borders a co ...

from Bamseom image:PhoneCall.jpg, Frame of bridge

References

{{Han River bridges Bridges in Seoul Yeouido Mapo District

History

Timeline

Soegang Bridge and Bamseom Island

See also

Gallery

References