December 2008 - Halcrow

he Busan to Geoje fixed link project
T
is an ambitious scheme to reduce
journey times between Korea’s
south coast city of Busan and the island of
Geoje – a tourist hot-spot and home to some
of the country’s biggest shipbuilding yards.
On completion in late 2010, the link will slash
journey times from three and a half hours to
just 40 minutes. It will open up the region to
a wealth of previously untapped business and
tourism opportunities.
The impressive 8.2km-long link includes a
record-breaking immersed tunnel, both a
three-pylon and a two-pylon cable-stayed
bridge, together with approach bridges and
road and rock tunnels on the islands.
The cable-stayed bridges are the first of
their kind in Korea, employing the most
advanced design techniques and latest
construction technology.
Held in place by cable stays, the roadway will
‘float’ in the air between the pylons, allowing
ships to pass easily underneath. When full
erection of the bridges begins, five sets of
balanced cantilevers will enable construction
of the mammoth structure.
The 3.2km-long immersed tunnel will carry
traffic at a depth of up to 48m below sea
level, avoiding the massive container ships
plying their trade above.
Based in Busan, Halcrow’s Don Fraser
is providing advice to Korean contractor
Daewoo Engineering and Construction,
which designed the project with Danish
company, COWI.
“Halcrow has been involved on this worldclass
project from the very beginning and it’s
proving to be a tremendously challenging,
but extremely rewarding scheme,” said Don.
On completion in late 2010, the
link will slash car journey times from
three and a half hours to just 40 minutes