Top Bridge Builder In World

Daelim Industrial can build any type of bridge and is ready to advance overseas

Daelim Industrial Co., widely known as the best builder of the bridges in Korea, has been engaged in building the Lee Sun-shin Grand Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in Korea near Gwangyang Harbor and the fourth largest in the world, targeted for completion in October 2012.
NewsWorld had the honor to hold an exclusive written interview with Manager Seo Young-hwa, in charge of building the bridge in Gwangyang Harbor for Daelim Industrial after the company won the bid to take charge of the third section of the Approach Road to the Yeosu Industrial Complex. He said the bridge, when completed, will be an outstanding example of what Korean builders can do as Daelim developed its own bridge building technologies and materials taking advantage of its expertise in building large suspension as well as cable-stayed girder bridges. Daelim hopes to soon build bridges overseas to put into good use its own refined bridge construction technologies and show them to the world.
Following is what Manager Seo had to say:























Question: Can you tell us about the current progress of the work on the Lee Sun-shin Grand Bridge and plans ahead?
Answer: The construction work on the bridge is being done in a number of sections; the first section concerns the main tower; basic work on the sub-tower; work on the construction of anchorage; the construction of main bodies of the main tower and sub-tower; the installation of cables and related work.
Right now, the work on the bridge has seen 39 percent progress as the main and sub-towers’ basic foundation work has been completed. From this month, preparations for installing cables have started. Following the installation of the cables, the work to connect the tower with the road where cars will pass will start.
Q: Please tell us about the specification of the bridge when it is completed?
A: The Lee Sun-shin Grand Bridge is the fourth largest suspension bridge in the world and the largest in Korea with its total length stretching for 1,545 meters, preceded by the Akashi Kaikyo (1,991 m) in Japan, Xihoumen Bridge (1,650 m) in China and the Great Belt East (1,624 m) in Denmark.
The 270-meter tall main tower of the bridge is the tallest concrete tower in the world, taller than the 63 Building (249 meters) in Yeouido and Namsan Tower (262 meters), both in Seoul.
The height of the bridge from the water is 85 meters tall, enough for super-large container vessels (18,000 TEU) to pass through, making a huge contribution to the development of Gwangyang Harbor as an international port when it is completed.
Q: Can you explain to us about the technology being employed to build the bridge since it will be an especially long bridge being built for the first time in Korea?
A: For the first time in Korea, the anchorage technology is being used to install the cables on boulders with the minimum use of concrete, which is being touted as an environmentally friendly construction technology.
Construction firms used borrowed technologies and materials from overseas to build suspension bridges in the past, but not any more. This bridge will be the first such bridge built with our own technologies and materials. Only such countries as Japan, Britain, China and the United States can build such long suspension bridges in the world. Daelim Industrial’s steady efforts to develop its own technologies have paid off finally.
In building the Lee Sun-shin Grand Bridge, you can say for sure that it showed off what Korean builders can do in building such a long suspension bridge with their own technologies, construction equipment and materials, which are expected to lead them to advance into overseas bridge construction markets.
The bridge will be the first one to be built with steel cables produced in Korea with 1,860 MPs strength, harder than the 1,760 MPs steel cables used so far.
We used the twin-box type enforcement steel, which is about 95 percent stronger than the single-box type and stronger against wind speeds of 120 meters per second. The twin-box type was used for the first time on the bridge in Korea and the third in the world after China and Hong Kong.
Q: What are some of the advantages of the bridge when it is completed?
A: The bridge, when completed, will cut the travel time to the Yeosu National Industrial Complex and the Gwangyang National Industrial Complex to 10 minutes from 80 minutes, cutting travel distance from 60 km to 10 km, reducing logistics costs and spurring the development of Gwangyang Harbor as an international port, along with the Gwangyang Free Economic Zone, while at the same time helping the livelihood of the residents in the nearby towns.
The bridge also has significant historical meanings. Its total length of 1,545 m coincides with the late admiral’s birthday and the location of the bridge is an area where the late renowned admiral had his last sea battle ― the famous Noryang Sea Battle ― against the Japanese invading armadas in 1593. The bridge, due to its beauty, will be a famous landmark in the region by itself and will help local tourism when it is included in tour packages in the Southwest Coastal areas.
Q: Can you keep us updated on your company’s past bridge construction record?
A: Daelim made its name as a bridge builder in 1990 when it was building the Seohae Grand Bridge, the biggest and first cable-stayed girder bridge in Korea then. The company then went on to build the Samcheonpo Grand Bridge, the Dolsan Grand Bridge and the Cheongpung Grand Bridge with the expertise accumulated from building the Seohae Grand Bridge. The company is now engaged in building a number of cable-stayed girder bridges in Korea including the No.2 Dolsan Grand Bridge, Sepung Grand Bridge and the No.2 Geungang Grand Bridge.
The company completed the construction of the Sorok Bridge, the first suspension bridge built with the mono-cable in the country, in 2008 and with the technologies accumulated from the project, the company has been able to localize all the technologies and materials that go into building a suspension bridge. The company is engaged in building the Lee Sun-shin Grand Bridge, which is to be the largest suspension bridge in Korea when it is completed.
The company also is engaged in building the Jeokum Grand Bridge and the Dandung Grand Bridge. The company will also start the construction of the Saecheonnyon Grand Bridge since it won the bidding for the project, which will be the largest suspension bridge across a bay in the world.
Q: Can you tell us about the materials and manpower that went into building the bridge?
A: Until the bridge is completed in October 2012, the equivalent of 250,000 men will be mobilized along with 400,000 square meters of concrete, 13,000 tons of cable, 26,000 tons of steel rods and 24,000 tons of steel products. nw

A scenic view of Gwangyang Harbor and its vicinity seen from the Yeosu Industrial Complex, South Jeolla Province where Daelim Industrial Co. is engaged in construction of approach roads to the industrial complex.

Manager Seo Young-hwa in charge of the approach road construction project to the Yeosu Industrial Complex for Daelim Industrial Co.