Designation of ‘Focused Management Sections’ including the Northeastern Urban Railway
‘Triple Inspection System with Visual, GPR, and AI Measurement’ Initiated
Endoscopic Camera Inspections for Suspected Areas On the 26th, Seoul City announced it would designate underground pipeline areas at large urban railway construction sites as ‘focused management sections.’ Once designated as a ‘focused management section,’ the area will be managed through a triple inspection system involving GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), AI measurement, and visual inspection until the project is completed.
“The main urban railway construction sites currently include the Northeastern Line Urban Railway Private Investment Project, Phase 4 Extension of Subway Line 9, and the Yeongdong-daero Underground Space Complex Development Project. At the end of July, at the Northeastern Line Urban Railway Private Investment Project near Station 103, heavy rain caused water to seep into the temporary retaining structures, resulting in a small road subsidence measuring 50cm in width, 70cm in length, and 80cm in depth. The site investigation team discovered this during routine inspections, and it was immediately repaired without any inconvenience to residents or secondary damage.”
Scene of GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) road exploration (vehicle-mounted). Seoul City
“Seoul City plans to have professional personnel and construction companies conduct daily visual inspections of the surface and interior of underground excavation sites. Additionally, ‘ground penetration radar exploration’ will be conducted at least once a week to check and record crack and subsidence conditions. If any sections with potential voids are detected, an industrial endoscopic camera will be used to check the internal state, followed by immediate repairs.”
“Currently, GPR exploration is being conducted on the Northeastern Line Urban Railway Private Investment Project with a total length of 146 km, Phase 4 Extension of Subway Line 9 with a total length of 28.3 km, and the Yeongdong-daero Underground Space Complex Development Project with a total length of 9.3 km. During the first investigation in July, 19 voids were found (11 in the Northeastern Line, 6 in the subway, and 2 in Yeongdong-daero) and were immediately repaired. No additional voids have been found in the regular weekly inspections since then.”
“Aside from visual and GPR inspections, ‘AI-based smart measurement devices’ that analyze and judge risk signs and immediately notify managers have been installed, aiding in rapid situation assessment and safety measures. Currently, 28 such smart measuring devices are in operation at the Northeastern Line construction site, 35 at the Subway Line 9 Phase 4 Extension, and 4 at the Yeongdong-daero Underground Space Complex Development Project.”
“Seoul City plans to conduct additional GPR exploration on nearby roads and sidewalks when signs of potential voids are discovered, and quickly carry out joint investigations with relevant agencies around manholes and underground pipelines to identify causes and proceed with fundamental repairs and reinforcement construction. Kim Yong-hak, head of Seoul City’s Urban Railway Bureau, stated, ‘We are preemptively identifying and immediately fixing potential subsidence risks to completely block the risk of sinkholes,’ adding, ‘We will continuously improve our safety management systems to minimize safety accidents and inconvenience to citizens and to enhance the safety of urban railway construction sites through proactive preparation and quick response.'”