Interior Ministry begins nationwide safety inspection following bridge collapse

The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Monday that for the next two months, all 29 central government institutions, 243 local governments and 120 public institutions will conduct safety inspections on major infrastructures.

Officials from the forensic service and the police inspects the Jeongja bridge in Bundang that collapsed on April 5 few days later it happened. The government on Monday announced that it will conduct a nationwide safety inspections on such infrastructures until mid June. [YONHAP]

The Safety Ministry will be conducting a nationwide infrastructure inspection lasting until mid June, following the collapse of a bridge in Bundang, Gyeonggi, on April 5 that killed one person.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Monday that for the next two months, all 29 central government institutions, 243 local governments and 120 public institutions will conduct safety inspections on major infrastructures.

Some 3,000 experts from 17 private organizations will be participating in the overall sweep of 26,000 structures including bridges, tunnels, gas and power grids, logistic facilities, traditional markets and areas exposed to a risk of landslides.

Other facilities that will be included in the safety inspections are day care centers, movie theaters and camping sites.

In last year's inspection, 18 percent, or around 4,000 of the 26,000 facilities, were either repaired or reinforced.

Drones and heat sensors will be applied during the inspections.

The Seoul city government plans to deploy drones when inspecting the Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul.

Internet of things technology will be used in the systematical management of facilities that are outdated or considered at risk.

The Seoul government said the safety information of infrastructures nearby is available at safewatch.safemap.go.kr

Safety concerns on specific infrastructures can reported at safetyreport.go.kr

The previous inspection of public and private infrastructures and facilities was conducted between August and October last year.

The overall sweep is coming early this year since the collapse of a bridge in Bundang.

Jeongja bridge collapsed in the early morning on April 5, killing one person and injuring another.

The collapse happened a day after heavy rains in the area.

Kim Sung-ho, vice minister for disaster and safety management. announces the government's plan on an overall safety inspection on major infrastructures including bridges and tunnels at the government complex in Seoul, Monday. [YONHAP]

In last year’s safety inspection by Seongnam government, the 30-year-old bridge received a favorable rating with “no major defects,” but summary notes pointed out that repair work was needed for cracks.

The bridge was frequently used by Bundang residents to reach nearby Jeongja Station on the Sinbundang and Suin-Bundang subway lines or to take express buses to nearby cities.

“We plan to focus our inspections on bridges that have the same structure as Jeongja bridge, which had a cantilever beam structure,” said Kim Sung-ho, vice minister for disaster and safety management.

The cantilever beam is a rigid structure where only one end is supported while the other end is free.

The government, however, acknowledged that so far it has no specific details on the number of bridges that were built using the cantilever beam structure.

“We believe that the local governments doing their own inspection are aware of the methods in which the bridges were built,” said Kim. “However, we don’t have the overall count.

“There are 27,823 bridges, of which 3,719 received the lowest grade, C. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport doesn’t have information as to how many were built using the cantilever structure with only one side supported.”

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]