CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSES ON LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN KOREA

Two 115 m high towers in Kwang An Bay mark the path of what will be Korea's longest suspension bridge. When finished, the $235-million steel suspension structure will be 900 m long, with a center span of 500 m and two side spans of 200 m each. It will be the centerpiece of the 7.4 km Kwang An Grand Bridge, which will connect the two parts of the city of Pusan, South Korea. The deck will consist of approximately 47 prefabricated 18-m units weighing 450-500 Mg each. Gantries attached to the cables will lift the blocks from barges and swing them into place. This technique, called the vertical lift method, is usually used for box girders, but is being applied to a stiffening-truss suspension bridge for the first time. The bridge will carry eight lanes of automobile traffic on a double deck. The lower deck will also accommodate a future railway.