One of the most amazing bridges in the world can be found in Seoul, South Korea.
In this post, you’ll discover the ultimate list of facts about the Banpo Bridge, one of South Korea’s most famous bridges.
1. The bridge is located in downtown Seoul
The Banpo Bridge is one of the most important bridges in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It’s located right in the heart of the city and connects the Seocho with the Yongsan district, 2 of the 25 districts that make up Seoul.
It’s a girder bridge and crosses the Han River, the 4th-longest river on the Korean Peninsula and one of the most important rivers in the country.
With over 100,000 vehicles crossing the bridge every day, it’s also one of the most important bridges in South Korea!
2. It’s the upper part of a double-deck bridge
One of the most amazing facts about the Banpo Bridge is that it’s the upper part of a double-deck bridge. The lower part of this structure is called the Jamsu Bridge and was constructed 6 years before the Banpo Bridge, in 1976.
When the Banpo Bridge was completed it became, together with the Jamsu Bridge, the first double-deck bridge in South Korea.
3. The bridge was constructed in the early 1980s
The Jamsu Bridge was constructed between September 5, 1975, and July 5, 1976. It has a total length of 795 meters (2,608 feet) and a total width of 18 meters (59 feet).
The Banpo Bridge was simply built on top of this original bridge. Construction of it started on January 11, 1980, and it was completed on June 25, 1982, with a total construction cost of 21.5 billion South Korean won.
The reason it took much longer is that the bridge is quite a bit longer than its lower counterpart with a total length of 1,495 meters (4,905 feet) and a total width of 25 meters (82 feet).
4. The lower part of the bridge can’t always be crossed
One of the most peculiar facts about the Banpo Bridge is that it’s sometimes the only of the two double-deck bridges that can be crossed.
The reason for this is that the Jamsu Bridge was built just a few meters above the waterline. If the water level of the Han River rises during heavy rainfall, it simply submerges.
That’s the reason why they built a second bridge on top of it!
5. A fountain was installed on the bridge in 2009
The bridge in downtown Seoul isn’t one of the most fascinating bridges in the world because of its amazing design or architectural features. Before 2009, the bridge was merely one of the thousands of important bridges in a major city in the world, nothing more.
The reason is the installation of a fountain that runs across the bridge on each side over a length of 1,140 meters (3,740 feet). This unique feature, which is referred to as the “Moonlight Rainbow Fountain,” gives the structure a serious edge over just about any other bridge in the world!
6. The fountain represents the eco-friendliness of Seoul
As this fountain runs across both sides of the bride for over 1 kilometer, it means that it is able to shoot out a massive amount of water. Just thinking about this for a second because the bridge shoots out 190 tonnes of water per minute!
What’s incredibly remarkable is that not a single drop of water comes from the Seoul water supply. The water is directly pumped out of the Han River below by 38 water pumps and is continuously recycled, making it a completely eco-friendly fountain.
Seoul is an innovative city in multiple ways, and apart from being a beautiful new feature in the city, it also emphasizes the eco-friendliness of the city.
7. The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain holds an amazing record
The bridge hasn’t just been equipped with one of the most fascinating fountains in the world, it also features nearly 10,000 LED lights on both sides of the bridge.
The fountain currently still holds the record as the longest bridge fountain in the world and has been recognized as such by the Guinness World Records database.
8. The fountain looks magnificent at night
The water of the fountain shoots about 20 meters (65 feet) deep into the Han River over a distance of 43 meters (140 feet) through a total of 380 nozzles.
This in combination with the nearly 10,000 LED lights creates one of the most wonderful bridge spectacles in the world at night!
