The Busan–Geoje Fixed Link is an 8.2-kilometer bridge-tunnel fixed link that connectsthe South Korean city ofBusan to Geoje Island. The name of the bridge is Geoga Bridge. The route opened on December 13, 2010 and shortens the travelling distance between Geoje Island and Busan by about 60 kilometers. The new road has two lanes in each direction and carries National Road 58. The fixed link opens Geoje Island to tourist-related development and saves US$300 million in costs related to traffic delays from the longer route.
Design and construction
The bridge was built under a public-private partnership. GKFixed Link Corp, a consortium of seven Korean contractors, has a 40-year contract to build, operate and transfer the fixed link. The project is planned to cost US$1.8 billion. The government has provided only one-fourth of the cost; the rest is financed by the consortium to be repaid by tolls during the life of the contract. The lead contractor in the consortium is Daewoo Engineering & Construction, Co. Designers involved with the project include COWI A/S, Halcrow Group, Tunnel Engineering Consultants, Pihl and Son, Arcadis US, and Ben C. Gerwick.
Route
The route connects Busan, Korea's largest port city, to the shipbuilding industries and tourism destinations on Geoje Island. It replaces either a 210-minute journey by road or a 120-minute journey by ferry. The new route cutstravel time down to 40 minutes. The fixed link starts on Geoje Island, crosses three islets and ends on Gaduk Island. In addition to the tunnel between Daejuk and Gaduk islands, a tunnel is used to cross each of the islets.
Bridge 1
The bridge between Jungjuk and Jeo islands includes a cable-stayed bridge with a main span and side spans. This bridge provides of navigational clearance and has two diamond-shaped pylons.
Bridge 2
Between Geoje and Jeo islands, a bridge includes a three-pylon cable-stay bridge. This bridge has two mainspans of with side spans of. The pylons are tall and there is of clearance underneath the bridge.
Tunnel
When it opened, the tunnel became the world’s deepest immersed roadway tunnel and the world’s second-longest concreteimmersed tunnel, at. It is Korea's first immersed tunnel. It became the second-deepest immersed vehicle tunnel after completion of the Marmaray in 2013. The tunnel is made up of segments constructed in a dry dock in Anjeon. Each segment was towed by barges and sunk into place.
