Godeok Bridge (Sejong-Pocheon Expressway (Anseong-Guri) Zone 14)

“The Sejong-Pocheon Expressway” is expected to not only solve traffic issues on Gyeongbu-Chungbu Expressway but also play a significant role as a key transportation network and an economic aorta, connecting the administrative city of Sejong City and the metropolitan area, the center of the economy and living circles. In the construction of the Sejong-Pocheon Expressway, which has a total project cost of 9.6 trillion won and a total length of 128.1km, Hyundai E&C was in charge of zone 14 including bridge construction, often called the “flower of civil engineering.”

Hyundai E&C is building the Godeok Bridge, the world's longest span concrete cable-stayed bridge that minimizes the number of pillars by widening the distance between the towers as much as possible to minimize environmental damage to the Han River. The Godeok Bridge is 165m high and 540m long concrete cable-stayed bridge with the longest distance between towers in the world. Ultra-high-strength concrete and cables were needed to implement this, so we also applied technologies such as 2,160MPa ultra-high-strength streel strands and cable bridge design standards, which are research findings of the Korea Express Corporation’s Long-Span Bridge Task Force” in which Hyundai E&C and relevant researchers are taking part.

Linear management, which is referred to as the core of concrete cable-stayed bridge construction, is important in terms of displacement management for each construction stage (bending or positional change of structure by force). At each construction stage, the site used a high-precision GPS surveying system and smart construction technologies to reduce measurement errors and adjusted the tension of the cable so that the reinforcing type(top plate) is finally installed at the target location.

Carrying and placing 80MPa ultra-high-strength concrete to the superstructure requires high-level technology. To perform high-quality and highly complex construction, the reinforced top plate was made into an actual segment size (a structure manufactured by dividing the bridge box girder into a certain length) before construction, and a long-distance casting test using piping was conducted. As a result, Godeok Bridge has secured wind-resistant safety that can withstand winds blowing faster than 100 m/s of speed and earthquake-resistant performance with a repeatability period of 4800 years.

For the first time in a domestic highway project, the site introduced BIM (Building Information Modeling) across the entire construction process. A site official said, “There are times when unexpected problems occur during the construction process, and BIM can be used to review complex designs in 3D, which helps prevent risks.” “Thanks to this, constructability and safety have been greatly improved." When the Godeok Bridge is completed, information on the entire construction process will be stored in BIM as a Digital Twin model. This accumulated information will further enhance Hyundai E&C’s highway and bridge construction capabilities and smart construction technology capabilities.