Hwacheon's New Gateway 'New Hwacheon Bridge' Begins Trial Operation... Completion Near After 10 Years of Construction

Hwacheon County Invests 49.5 Billion Won in New Hwacheon Bridge, Completion Ceremony Set for June 22

The Era of Four-Lane Traffic Begins... End of Traffic Jams at the Sancheoneo Ice Festival

The Hwacheon Bridge, the new gateway of Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province, has entered its final phase before completion by starting trial operations.

The newly constructed Hwacheon Bridge began a trial opening on the 23rd in preparation for its completion ceremony next month. Despite the heavy traffic during rush hour, vehicles are flowing smoothly through both the old Hwacheon Bridge and the new Hwacheon Bridge. Photo by Hwacheon County

On May 22, starting at 5:30 p.m., the county opened the new Hwacheon Bridge, connecting Hwacheon-eup to Wira-ri in Hanam-myeon.

When the traffic control staff signaled, an official vehicle carrying County Governor Choi Moonsoon, along with a police car, a county traffic enforcement vehicle, and a disaster prevention vehicle, smoothly entered and passed through the new Hwacheon Bridge.

The purpose of this trial operation was to conduct a final inspection of the safety and traffic flow at the roundabouts on both ends of the bridge, the turning radius and structural safety for large vehicles, and the traffic safety facilities.

The county plans to hold the completion ceremony for the Hwacheon Bridge on June 22, once the inspections are finished.

The total project cost for the Hwacheon Bridge was 49.5 billion won, and the bridge spans approximately 400 meters with two lanes in each direction.

Ten years after construction began in 2017, the new Hwacheon Bridge is now completed. It crosses the Bukhan River, connecting Hari in Hwacheon-eup and Wira-ri in Hanam-myeon, and will serve as a new gateway to Hwacheon.

The existing Hwacheon Bridge will continue to function as a two-lane, one-way bridge for vehicles entering Hwacheon-eup.

This bridge was originally built in 1985 by the Ministry of National Defense to support military operations, troop transport, and supply routes. After more than 40 years, it has become outdated.

With the construction of the new Hwacheon Bridge, vehicles traveling to and from Hwacheon can now move conveniently on a total of four lanes in both directions without concerns about congestion.

Traffic congestion, which used to occur around the Hwacheon Bridge during rush hours as well as during events such as the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival and park golf tournaments, is also expected to disappear.

In addition, the new bridge allows large vehicles from the Hwacheon Fire Station to respond more quickly to emergencies.

Meanwhile, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Hwacheon Bridge in 2023, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Hwacheon County announced plans to demolish the old, aging bridge and build an additional two-lane, one-way bridge after completing the new structure.

Choi Moonsoon, Governor of Hwacheon County, stated, "The completion of the new Hwacheon Bridge is highly symbolic, marking the opening of a new future for Hwacheon. I sincerely hope that Hwacheon's development will be as smooth as the traffic flow on the new bridge."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.