On the 25th, the site where 10 casualties occurred due to the collapse of a structure above the piers is the construction site of the Cheonyongcheon Bridge in section 9 of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway between Cheonan and Anseong.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the chief contractor for this project is Hyundai Engineering. The construction companies for this section are a consortium of Hyundai Engineering (62.5%) and Hoban Industry (37.5%). The subcontractor is Jangheon Industry.
The project cost for this construction is reported to be around 200 billion won. It has been determined that the DR girder launching method was applied at the site where the accident occurred. This method is known for being used in bridge construction; although it is slower than standard crane method, it minimizes damage to the natural environment as well as the impacts on the underlying terrain and structures.
The Seoul-Sejong Expressway spans a total of 134 kilometers, divided into the metropolitan area (Anseong to Guri, total length 72 kilometers) and non-metropolitan area (Sejong to Anseong, including Osong branch line 62 kilometers). The metropolitan area opened on Jan. 1 of this year. The location of the accident is section 9 among 11 sections of the Sejong to Anseong segment. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expects that when the Seoul-Sejong Expressway is opened, the traffic volume on the existing Gyeongbu Expressway will decrease by about 10%, and approximately 15% on the Jungbu Expressway, improving chronic traffic congestion in the metropolitan area.
The entire segment from Sejong to Anseong was planned to begin construction in 2019 and be completed by the end of 2026. The initial goal was to open in June of last year, but the schedule has been delayed. The current construction progress is about 60%. However, due to the subsequent measures related to search and debris recovery, and the investigation of the collapse cause following this incident, the opening schedule is expected to be pushed back.
According to the firefighting authorities, around 9:49 a.m. on that day, a collapse occurred at the construction site of section 9 of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway near Ipjang-myeon in Seobuk-gu, Cheonan. It is reported that a slab being moved by a crane fell at that time. This incident resulted in 4 deaths, 5 serious injuries, and 1 minor injury, totaling 10 casualties.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has established a task force led by Deputy Minister Park Sang-woo to respond to this incident. Minister Park noted, "Above all, we will ensure the rescue of workers and prevent further accidents due to additional collapses, and we will cooperate with related agencies such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Korean National Police Agency, the Fire Agency, Chungcheongnam-do, Cheonan City, and the Korea Expressway Corporation to ensure thorough recovery at the accident site."
Hyundai Engineering issued a statement saying, "We sincerely apologize for the loss of precious lives and the injuries suffered due to the human accident at our construction site," and added, "We are actively cooperating with relevant agencies for prompt site recovery and accurate cause investigation of the accident."