Lotte E&C's steel-pipe crossbeam method earns disaster-safety new technology designation

Lotte E&C has unveiled an innovative construction technology designed to prevent collapse accidents during large bridge construction while dramatically cutting project timelines.

The company announced Tuesday that a steel-pipe crossbeam construction method — co-developed with Daeryun Construction, Yooshin and the Chung-Ang University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation — has been designated Disaster Safety New Technology No. 2026-4 by the Korea Disaster Prevention Association. The technology enables rapid correction of lateral girder displacement during bridge installation to improve overturning safety in concrete girder bridges.

The newly certified method uses steel-pipe supports to correct lateral displacement — the sideways bending of girders, the load-bearing structural backbone of a bridge. A screw mechanism adjusts pipe length in millimeter increments, pushing or pulling a displaced girder back into position and restoring structural stability immediately.

The risk of overturning accidents during construction has grown as domestic bridge projects have trended larger, with concrete girders increasing in both length and height. Collapse incidents during bridge installation at public and private infrastructure sites have made securing construction-phase safety an urgent priority for the industry.

Conventional bridge construction typically connects girders by installing formwork and temporary supports, then pouring and curing concrete in place. The process has drawn criticism for its complexity — involving rebar placement, concrete pouring and formwork removal — and for the extended time workers spend on elevated platforms where collapse risks are high. A further limitation was the absence of any mechanism to straighten a girder once it had already begun to bend.

The new steel-pipe crossbeam method addresses these shortcomings by connecting the steel pipes immediately after the girders are set, firmly securing the structure in a first stage, then adjusting crossbeam length in real time to correct any twisting as site conditions demand. The approach eliminates the risk of major overturning accidents during construction, a quality that earned it recognition as a disaster-prevention technology. In addition, by removing the complex concrete-pouring process, it significantly reduces workers' exposure to high-risk tasks such as falls, and cuts construction time for that phase by up to 87 percent, substantially improving on-site economics.

"This new technology is an innovative method that can immediately resolve girder displacement simply by installing supports," a Lotte E&C official said. "It will present a new paradigm for bridge construction by simultaneously ensuring ease of construction, shorter project timelines, worker safety and the structural integrity of the bridge."

Lotte E&C is also strengthening safety management by expanding AI translation technology cooperation and its on-site application, aiming to reduce language barriers among workers of various nationalities and improve work and safety management efficiency.