Road tunnel in Seoul

A road tunnel over seven kilometres in length was opened in South Korea’s capital Seoul in 2021 in order to relieve traffic congestion. The construction project, which is unique in Korea, enables road users to shorten a 32-minute journey to a mere eight minutes. Due to its challenging environment, the underground project is equipped with Securiton’s SecuriHeat LIST line-type heat detector system.

The Sinwol-Yeoui sub-surface road connects Sinwol-dong in the southwest of the South Korean capital Seoul with the Yeoui-dong financial and political district located on the Hangang river. Located at a depth of up to 70 metres, the tunnel is the first of its kind in Seoul and totals 7.53 km in length. It was built with the aim of relieving traffic congestion on the surface and reducing travel times between Sinwol-dong and Yeoui-dong by about 24 minutes, i.e. from 32 to eight minutes.

Traffic tunnels are harsh environments exposed to exhaust fumes, dust, heat and humidity, all of which makes detecting fires difficult. Despite this, the safety of users and the goods they transport is paramount for the authorities behind the Sinwol-Yeoui tunnel. Hence the reason they opted for SecuriHeat LIST line-type heat detectors, on the recommendation of Securiton partner RITCO: SecuriHeat LIST systems are reliable and immune to harsh conditions of this nature, and they offer pinpoint detection thanks to the sensors integrated in the cable. Additional installations such as emergency recesses are readily monitored using derivations with no need for extra loops.