[Infrastructure, From Construction to Replacement]⑪Maintenance Days Slashed from 58 to 5... Maintenance Know-How Grows Alongside

Aging Highways Over 30 Years Old to Surge 5.5 Times in 15 Years
Korea Expressway Corporation Pilots "All-Lane Closure" Maintenance Projects
Safer, Faster, and Cost-Effective Outcomes

The Korea Expressway Corporation, which is responsible for highway maintenance, has begun experimenting with a new method this year: "full-section closure integrated multi-task construction," in which an entire section of road is closed and repaired intensively over a short period. Rather than sticking to the traditional partial closure method, the company is now applying full road closures even to small-scale maintenance projects.

The integrated multi-task work site on the Second Jungbu Expressway conducted from the 15th to the 25th of last month. A long section of 3.1km around Gwangju to Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, was closed. Various works such as improvement of new expansion joints, concrete pavement surface repair, and precise safety inspections of structures were completed in a short period through a one-stop process. Korea Expressway Corporation

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation on July 16, the number of aging highway routes over 30 years old is expected to increase sharply—by 2.2 times in five years, and by 5.5 times in fifteen years, compared to the current year. The number of aging structures such as bridges and tunnels over 30 years old will also surge, by 2.3 times and 4.4 times respectively. Furthermore, recent climate change has caused severe snowstorms and a rapid increase in de-icing agent usage, which accelerates road damage and increases the risk of major defects.

At the integrated multi-task work site on the Second Jungbu Expressway visited on June 20, a 3.1 km section in the Gwangju to Icheon area of Gyeonggi Province was closed off. Various tasks—including the improvement of expansion joints, concrete pavement surface repairs, and precise safety inspections of structures—were completed in a one-stop process over a short period.

The integrated multi-species work site on the 2nd Jungbu Expressway held from the 15th to the 25th of last month. A long section of 3.1 km from Gwangju to Icheon in Gyeonggi Province was blocked. The photo shows the ongoing improvement work of the new expansion joint device. Photo by Korea Expressway Corporation

Seo Inseok, head of the stress-relief joint installation project, said, "We can work with peace of mind, as there is no risk of traffic accidents." Won Changjae, traffic closure team leader, added, "Having multiple types of work taking place simultaneously allows us to safely and efficiently conduct a large number of maintenance tasks in a short time. It's very effective."

Under the previous approach, it would have taken 58 days to complete 39 projects. With this new method, all of them were finished in just 5 days. The traffic closure costs alone were reduced by approximately 160 million won. The traditional method of repeated partial closures came with the limitations of increased traffic accident risks and significant inconvenience to road users.

However, by fully closing a section, the company can conduct intensive repair work. The core of this approach is its ability to upgrade aging roads quickly and safely. As the number of construction days is reduced, both the closure period and daily costs can be cut by 4 to 5 million won per day. A project official explained, "The savings achieved can be returned to the local community or further invested in safety prevention measures."

The National Railway Corporation is also in the midst of expanding aging bridges. Since its establishment in 2004, it has invested a total of 600.3 billion won through last year on 32 bridge expansion projects. This year alone, it is investing 24.6 billion won into the expansion of six bridges, including the Janggeocheon Bridge on the Gyeongwon Line. The Corporation is transitioning its maintenance inspections—from being person-centered to automated monitoring using trains and IoT sensors—in order to collect data that can be analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI), thus moving toward a proactive maintenance system.

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