Yanghwa Bridge



The Yanghwa Bridge, formerly known as the Second Hangang Bridge , is an eight lane bridge spanning the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. The bridge connects Mapo District on the north side of the river to Yeongdeungpo District on the south side of the river. The bridge is buttressed by the eastern end of the island of Seonyudo, home to Seonyudo Park.

The bridge is a combination of two bridges: the old bridge, originally called the "Second Han River Bridge", completed in 1965; and the new bridge, completed in 1982. The old bridge was the first bridge built by Korean technology after independence in 1945 and served as the gateway from Seoul to the west coast. Due to increasing traffic, construction for an expansion started in 1979 and the new eight lane bridge was completed in February 1982.

The old bridge's upper structure has a width of 18 m, length 1,053 m, and is composed of steel plate girders and concrete box girders. The new bridge has a width of 16.2 m, length 1,053 m and is a steel plate girder bridge. The lower structure has an open caisson well foundation.

The bridge went through repairs and renovations in 1996 and reopened in April 2002 with additional ramps. As of February 2010, the bridge is once again going through renovations by widening the space between bridge posts to allow 5000t ships to pass. Yanghwa Bridge also has a song named after it called "양화대교 Yanghwa Bridge" by R&B/soul singer Zion.T in 2014.