8 out of 9 expressway tunnels have poor fire resistance design

According to the Board of Audit and Inspection inspection, eight out of nine national expressway tunnels in South Korea have been identified with an inadequate fire resistance design compared to the current guidelines.

Following the 2020 fire accident on the Suncheon–Wanju Expressway that caused 48 casualties, the South Korean government established fire resistance guidelines for road tunnels with stronger standards for fire resistance design. However, a recent inspection found that eight out of nine expressway tunnels that reinforced their fire resistance design after the establishment of the new guidelines did not meet the standards.

The Board of Audit and Inspections revealed such findings on Monday through its regular inspection report on Korea Expressway Corporation, adding that there are concerns about large-scale accidents on expressways due to tunnel collapse and other factors in case of fire in tunnels.

According to the BAI, it inspected nine expressway tunnels that reinforced their fire resistance design during the inspection period to determine whether the design meets the current guidelines. Except for an underpass on the Gyeongbu Expressway, eight tunnels failed to meet the current guidelines, including the maximum temperature withstood by tunnel materials.

It was also found that the Korea Expressway Corporation had not conducted load-carrying capacity tests on bridges that were built before the expressway bridge design standards were strengthened nine years ago. “Materials that have endured long-term use or are invisible might be damaged,” said a BAI member. “The load carrying capacity of Nakdong 2nd Bridge does not meet the design standards and needs to be enhanced to ensure safety.”


고도예 기자 yea@donga.com