Mokpo Bridge, Road bridge in Mokpo, South Korea.
Mokpo Bridge is a cable-stayed road bridge on National Route 1 linking Jukgyo-dong with Gohado and Husado in Mokpo. Its two light-grey concrete towers are diamond-shaped, and 120 cables in a three-way arrangement run from the tower tops to the centre of the flat deck rather than its edges. The steel deck forms three continuous spans of 200, 500 and 200 metres, with 36 piers and 36 slab spans along the 4,129-metre crossing.
Planning for Mokpo Bridge was driven by the need to link the West Sea Expressway with Mokpo New Port. In 2007 Mayor Jeong Jong-deuk secured 75 billion won in talks with the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, and 70 billion won was secured in 2009. The deck was joined on 22 August 2011 and the bridge opened on 29 June 2012.
The bridge's two diamond-shaped towers are modelled on the crane, the bird that gives Mokpo its name and symbol. The three-way cable layout keeps the cables in a single central plane, so drivers keep an open view of the Dadohae islands on both sides. A 2012 traffic survey found weekend volumes far above weekdays, as visitors came for the night lights and sea views.
Mokpo Bridge is a car-only bridge on National Route 1, with four lanes and no pedestrian walkway, so it cannot be crossed on foot. It links the North Port area near Jugyo-dong with Gohado and Husado at Mokpo New Port. Traffic counts in July 2012 showed weekday volumes of about 13,168 vehicles, rising to 19,344 on Saturdays.
Mokpo Bridge was the first in Korea and the second in the world to use the three-way cable method: instead of two pairs of cables on each side of the deck, a single pair runs down the centre of the deck. This keeps both side views open. The deck is built to withstand winds of 67.4 m/s and the towers 74.9 m/s.
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