Seodaemun-gu Installs Elevators on Newly Rebuilt Pedestrian Overpass Near Ansan Elementary School

A nearly 40-year-old pedestrian overpass in front of Ansan Elementary School in Seodaemun-gu has been rebuilt and reopened, with elevators installed on both sides to improve safety for schoolchildren and ease of access for elderly residents, people with disabilities, pregnant women and others with limited mobility.

Seodaemun-gu said it completed the reconstruction of the overpass at 41-19 Hongje-dong and opened it to the public Friday.

The original overpass, installed in 1988, had served as a school commute route and everyday pedestrian crossing for 38 years. Decades of use had left the structure deteriorated, and its staircase-only design made it difficult for residents with mobility challenges to use.

Because the overpass is a daily route for children heading to school as well as a general pedestrian thoroughfare, the district carried out the replacement and elevator installation simultaneously to ensure structural safety while making the crossing accessible to those who cannot manage stairs.

The new overpass measures 4 meters wide and 30 meters long. It features reinforced safety railings and anti-slip paving to improve walking safety for students and residents.

The centerpiece of the accessibility upgrade is a pair of 15-person elevators, one on each side of the overpass. Previously, crossing required climbing and descending stairs; the elevators now allow pedestrians to cross without using the stairs at all.

The change benefits elderly residents, people with disabilities, pregnant women and those pushing strollers, reducing the burden of everyday movement. What began as a safety improvement for schoolchildren has broadened into a wider quality-of-life upgrade for residents of all ages.

The surrounding pedestrian environment was also improved. The district renovated the walkways leading up to the overpass and installed landscape lighting to enhance safety and usability at night.

Seodaemun-gu District Mayor Park Woon-ki said the path in front of a school is both a commute route for children and a shared everyday space for all generations. "Protecting children's safety and removing the barrier that stairs posed for residents who struggled with them — that is what local government is here to do," he said.