Korea has longest ‘Boryeong Undersea Tunnel’

Korea’s longest undersea tunnel, “Boryeong Undersea Tunnel,” has been penetrated two-way on Monday, while the whole section of the Boryeong-Taean route, where the undersea tunnel belongs, is expected to open by the end of 2021. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced on Sunday that the southbound lane of Boryeong Undersea Tunnel, which is 6.9 kilometers long, will get fully excavated between Daecheon port in Boryeong and Wonsan Islet.

Following the upbound lane complete in excavation in February, the completion of excavation works for the downline will signify the full completion of penetrating both ways of the tunnel in seven years since the commencement in 2012. The construction is a part of a road building project between Boryeong and Taean.

The tunnel is a two-lane scale in both directors. When completed, this undersea tunnel will be recorded as the world’s fifth longest following the Tokyo Aqua Line (9.5 km) in Japan, the Bomlafjord (7.9 km), the Eiksund (7.8 km), and the Oslofjord (7.2 km) in Norway.

The Boryeong-Taean road building project aims to connect Sinheuk-dong in Boryeong and Gonam-ri in Gonam-myeon, Taean, an un-open section on Route 77, costing 687.9 billion own. The section between Wonsan Islet and Anmyeon Island in Taean (6.1 km) is expected to be available this December while the Daecheon port-Wonsan Islet section (8.0 km) is scheduled to open by the end of 2021. As of now, it takes one hour and 30 minutes by car from Anmyeon Island in Taean to Daecheon Beach in Boryeong. When the roads are complete in construction, the travel time is reduced significantly to 10 minutes.


Ae-Jin Ju jaj@donga.com