The Seoul Metropolitan Government will strip away road pavement and inspect the subgrade at the southern approach ramp of Seongsu Bridge to address growing public concern over a step-level gap found at the site.
The city said Sunday that external specialists in structural engineering and geotechnical fields will conduct on-site tests Wednesday, examining the condition of structures beneath the pavement and assessing the load-bearing capacity of the ground.
The gap is located not on the bridge itself but on a section of approach retaining wall built up with compacted soil. The field tests are designed to confirm whether the subgrade retains sufficient bearing capacity.
To carry out the work, the ramp will be fully closed from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday, with one adjacent lane of the Olympic Expressway also partially restricted during that period.
Once the tests are complete, the city will repave the stretch from the ramp entrance to the bridge connection point to reduce the jolting felt by passing vehicles and improve ride stability and comfort.
The city plans to analyze the field test results alongside an ongoing precision safety diagnosis to assess the facility's overall condition and, if necessary, draw up repair and reinforcement measures.
The city had previously identified the roughly 9-centimeter gap during a precision safety inspection and had been monitoring it. Officials said no additional settlement had been recorded since 2016 and concluded there were no structural safety concerns, but public unease over the gap has grown in recent weeks.
In response, the city launched a joint inspection with external experts on July 9 and conducted a ground-penetrating radar survey the following day. Officials said no anomalies affecting safety or any widening of the gap were detected.
"Inspections to date have confirmed there are no structural safety problems, but we will conduct the field tests in parallel to ease public concern and do our utmost to manage the facility with safety as our top priority," said Choe Jin-seok, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Disaster and Safety Management Office.
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