On March 28, the groundbreaking ceremony for the building of the KAIST Bridge, otherwise known as the Bridge of Fusion, was held at Gapcheon Hasang Park in the presence of invited guests and 300 citizens. The purpose of the bridge is to relieve the projected increase in traffic stress during peak hours due to the increase in the number of cars getting into Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone, the science and technology hub of Korea, as well as into Yuseong District, which was assigned as the International Science and Business Belt.

 

The bridge will be built 100 meters away from the KAIST Main Gate (E1) towards the direction of the National Science Museum. It will connect the 3rd street of Mannyeon-dong to KAIST, stretching 272.5 meters long and 25.9 meters wide. This project is planned with a total budget of 29.8 billion Korean Won and is to be finished by December 20, 2015.

 

The yearly increase in the number of cars in Daejeon is 12,000, a number enough to fill eight lanes of the road from Daejeon Train Station to Yuseong Spa Station. With the construction of the new bridge, an average of 3 minutes and 10 minutes on the weekdays and weekends, respectively, will be saved on the road, relieving the traffic congestion that forced cars to be stuck on the roads for more than 20 minutes in peak times. Also, the bridge is meant to ultimately improve regional balance and reduce traffic congestion costs, as well as create a more pleasant city environment.

 

The Bridge of Fusion is geared toward contributing to developments in Daeduk Special Zone, and it is anticipated to create a synergy effect with the completion of the Chungcheong railroad network and the 2nd line of the Daejeon subway, saving unnecessary costs in regulating traffic and freeing up the currently congested roads. A related official at the ceremony promised to “provide the citizens with the best quality and a safe construction environment.”