Lee Young-cheon, (professional engineer road & airports) head of the Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway Construction Team. (Photo: KEC)

The Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway Construction Team of Korea Expressway Corp. (KEC) is implementing a project to build a 34.1 km-long expressway, linking Hamyang and Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, a brand highway with safe and pleasant environment’.

The Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway is part of an ongoing project to construct a 144.6 km-long expressway - National Highway No. 14 - that will connect Hamyang and Ulsan.

The Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway is part of a second horizontal line connecting the nation’s road network, linking Mooan, Gwangju, Namwon, and Hamyang and Ulsan, respectively.

Each expressway construction team is in charge of managing each of the four construction sections of the horizontal line E-W 2 – the Hamyang-Hapcheon, Hapcheon-Changnyeong, Changnyeong-Milyang, and Milyang-Ulsan portions.

The Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway plan calls for linking the Pukhamyang Junction in Jigok-myeon, Hamyang-gun, a connection with the Tongyeong-Daejeon Expressway, and the Geochang Junction, a crossing with the Gwangju-Daegu Expressway, via the 1,075-meter-long Jigok Bridge, and then it will proceed to the 3,922-meter long Shinwon Tunnel No. 1 and the southern side of Hapcheon Lake before reaching at Yongju-myeon, Hapcheon-gun.

The Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway is divided into six construction sections. The course will stretch 8 km or 23 percent in the Hamyang-gun area, 11 km or 33 percent in the Geochang-gun area, and 15 km or 44 percent in the Hapcheon-gun area. As of July, its progress rate stands at 11.4 percent.

Among the major road facilities will be two interchanges (Pukhamyang and Geochang) and two junctions (Namgeochang and Hapcheon Lake).

The structure portion of the expressway will account for 74 percent - 42 bridges, standing at 7.1 km in combined length or 21 percent, and 10 tunnels, extending a combined 18.2 km or 53 percent.

The Bukhamyang Interchange and the Hapcheon Lake Junction are planned to be merged while the Ulsan-bound Hapcheon Service Area, located at the Hapcheonho Junction, is planned to prospect Hapcheon Lake.

The expressway project will have an effect of spurring the development of Gyeongsangnam-do inland area and shortening traveling time between Hamyang and Hapcheon by 22 minutes to 43 minutes - bringing its estimated benefits to 165.8 billion won per annum.

In accordance with the newly inaugurated CEO’s management tents - safety management, innovation management and co-existence management - the Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway Construction Team is focusing on four core tasks.

Those tasks are the construction of a fast, safe expressway, construction of an expressway employing eco-friendly and advanced technologies, partakers’ join construction of an expressway, and transparent construction tailored to meet public needs.

The first task involves the construction of a fast, safe expressway. It is designed to build a smart tunnel safety management system to zero safety accidents in consideration of the construction of many tunnel structures.

The team takes measures to prevent safety accidents of construction sites like the installation of front cameras of excavators and protective facilities to prevent cave-ins.

The height of berms designed to prevent slope loss and landslides has been improved and foggy conditions are monitored to step large-size traffic accidents at mountain sections.

The second task involves construction of an expressway employing eco-friendly and advanced technologies. Expressway construction applies the Building Information Modeling (BIM) regime to ensure scientific construction management of large-sized structures through advanced technologies to explore and fix danger factors before construction while minimizing forest damages by introducing eco-friendly engineering method at the tunnel of each tunnel.

The team attaches priority to seven areas, including the building of an environment management master map designed to promote efficiency of divergent environment management facilities and visualize them.

The third task involves the use of equipment and materials being prioritized to promote communication and shared growth with local companies and residents, while social contribution activities targeting local communities are conducted, such as donations to the underprivileged.

The fourth task involves transparent construction tailored to meet public needs. The team is endeavoring to comply with social calls to ensure integrity and eradicate malpractices by operating the Hot Line and a “post box of complaints and grievances.” It is also operating diverse communications channels with construction partakers and stakeholders to lend an ear to their voices.

Lee Young-cheon, head of the Hamyang-Hapcheon Expressway Construction Team said they are asking for much concern and support from local governments and district residents to dedicate the expressway by 2024 and it is devoting itself to making the 144 km-long Hamyang-Ulsan expressway a brand one with a safe and pleasant environment.