Seoul adopts 'silent' new construction method... Suwon uses 'noisy' vibratory pile driving

During an administrative audit of the Transportation Safety Bureau by the Suwon City Council's Green Space and Transportation Committee (Chairman Lee Dae-young), poor oversight by Suwon City of subway construction sites on lines such as the Bundang Line and Sinbundang Line came under scrutiny.

According to audit materials submitted to the city council, from November 2011 to October of this year, 164 civil complaints were filed regarding noise and building cracks at the Bundang Line extension section.

Additionally, claims were raised that the source of these complaints stems from the fact that the Suwon section has been constructed using old construction methods such as T-4 or vibratory pile driving, unlike other construction sites being built using silent and vibration-free methods.

Councilman Baek Jong-heon (Youngtong 1.2, Tae-jang) revealed, "The subway construction site in the Suwon section has been constructed using vibratory pile driving methods that generate significant noise and vibration, rather than silent construction methods, resulting in numerous civil complaints as well as cracks occurring in various locations."

Councilman Baek continued, "Although the construction site generated significant dust, construction workers were not wearing masks, and mask usage was not even recommended to city council members who visited the site for inspections, indicating that Suwon City's supervision of the subway construction site is full of failures."

Councilwoman Hwang Yong-kwon (Maetan 3.4) stated, "An asphyxiation accident also occurred at the Shinbundang Line extension construction site," and urged, "Since citizens experience inconvenience due to hazards at the construction site, Suwon City must not neglect it just because it is not a city project."

Meanwhile, Committee Chairman Lee Dae-young stated, "We discovered cracks at the Mangpo Station construction site and notified construction officials, but they covered it up anyway," and disclosed site photos.

The chairman demanded that relevant officials investigate the site and redo the construction work.

In addition, at today's audit by the Green Space and Transportation Committee, Councilman Choi Gang-gwi (Jeongja 2.3) drew attention by requesting traffic policies for transportation-vulnerable groups.

Councilman Choi stated, "Suwon, entering an aging society, must now establish traffic policies for the elderly," and pointed out, "Although there are 88 elderly welfare facilities, only 6 areas have designated senior protection zones."

He further requested, "Review whether the road surface color of children's protection zones, which are currently dark red, can be changed to colors with better visibility, and establish a bus arrival notification system for people with disabilities."