Seongsu Bridge
The Seongsu Bridge (Korean: 성수대교; Hanja: 聖水大橋), sometimes spelled Sŏngsu Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the Han River, connecting the Seongdong and Gangnam districts of Seoul, South Korea. The bridge began construction under Hyundai Engineering & Construction on April 26, 1995 and was opened to the public on July 3, 1997 by Seoul Mayor Cho Soon (조순; 趙淳).[1] The original Seongsu Bridge was built in 1979, and was demolished and rebuilt following the Seongsu Bridge disaster on October 21, 1994.
Seongsu Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The rebuilt Seongsu Bridge in February 2008. | |
| Coordinates | 37°32′15″N 127°02′06″E |
| Locale | Han River, Seoul, South Korea |
| Other name(s) | Sŏngsu Bridge |
| Maintained by | Seoul Metropolitan Government |
| Characteristics | |
| No. of lanes | 8 (formerly 4) |
| History | |
| Constructed by |
|
| Built | April 9, 1977-October 15, 1979 |
| Construction cost | |
| Rebuilt | April 26, 1995 - July 3, 1997 |
| Collapsed | 7:38 a.m. Korea Standard Time on October 21, 1994 |
| Location | |
History
Original bridge
The original Seongsu Bridge was built by Dong Ah Construction Industrial Company, opening to the public on October 15, 1979.[2][1] The bridge spanned 1,160 meters (3,810 ft) and was 19.4 meters (64 ft) wide, accommodating 4 lanes of traffic.[3] Fifteen years later, on the morning of October 21, 1994, a span of the Seongsu Bridge collapsed, killing 32 people and injuring 17 others.[2] The collapse was ruled a result of poor welding, rusted extension hinges, and lack of general maintenance— and would result in the convictions of 16 city government and construction workers on charges of criminal negligence.[4]
In the aftermath of the disaster, the Seoul Metropolitan Government originally planned to repair and reopen the bridge to traffic within three months, but reversed course after public outcry.[5]: 175
New bridge
Construction for the new bridge began in March 1996 under Hyundai Engineering & Construction. Construction for the replacement bridge cost 78 billion won (equivalent to ₩134 billion in 2017[6]), about 6.8 times the original price.[7][8] The new bridge was opened to the public on July 3, 1997, by Mayor Cho Soon, and a memorial was held on the bridge.[9][10]
References
- "Welcom to the NEMA National Emergency Management Agency". 2006-03-03. Archived from the original on 2006-03-03. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- "32 Reported Dead as Bridge Collapses in Seoul". The New York Times. 1994-10-22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- "'성수대교 붕괴' 20년... 그때는 이럴 줄 몰랐다". 오마이뉴스 (in Korean). 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- "「성수대교붕괴」 전원 석방/서울지법/16명 집행유예·1명무죄 선고". www.hankookilbo.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- Kim, Yong-kyun (2017). Disaster risk management in the Republic of Korea. Hong-Gyoo Sohn. Singapore. ISBN 978-981-10-4789-3. OCLC 993623594.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - 1906 to 1911: Williamson J. (1999), Nominal Wage, Cost of Living, Real Wage and Land Rent Data for Korea 1906-1939 1912 to 1939: Mizoguchi, T. (1972). Consumer Prices and Real Wages in Taiwan and Korea Under Japanese Rule. Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, 13(1), 40-56. Retrieved May 21, 2021. Afterwards, consumer price index from Statistics Korea. Consumer Price Index by year. Retrieved 3 April 2018
- 전, 상봉 (2014-10-20). "'성수대교 붕괴' 20년... 그때는 이럴 줄 몰랐다" [20 years since the 'Seongsu Bridge collapse'...we didn't know it would turn out like this back then] (in Korean). OhmyNews. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- 대형 참사... 성수대교 붕괴 (10월21일)ㅣ뉴튜브 – 영상실록, 오늘N [46회] / YTN2, YTN, archived from the original on February 22, 2023, retrieved 2023-02-24
- "Collapse of Seongsu Bridge". National Emergency Management Agency (South Korea). Archived from the original on March 3, 2006. Retrieved 2006-03-03.
- [꼬꼬무 55회 요약] 대한민국 최악의 참사, 순식간에 무너진 '성수대교 붕괴 참사' | 꼬리에 꼬리를 무는 그날 이야기 (SBS방송), SBS, archived from the original on February 22, 2023, retrieved 2023-02-24
