차량 등록 대수 2550만 3천 대! 극심한 교통정체의 시대 속에서 세계 최초의 지하 도로 ‘템스 터널’, 한국도 가능할까? (KBS 20231203 방송)

▶ Why is underground road construction necessary? South Korea has 25.503 million registered vehicles (as of the end of 2022), and traffic congestion in the metropolitan area is severe due to the dense population. Just thinking about the traffic jams and driving home for the holidays makes my back ache. Why not just widen the roads? With limited space for highway expansion and land acquisition difficulties, underground road construction is emerging globally as a new solution. ▶ Construction of the World's First Underground Road In the early 19th century, it was no exaggeration to say that every ship in the world passed through the Port of London. With thousands of ships queuing up, the only alternative was to build an underground road. Richard Trevithick had planned a tunnel under the Thames River, but after two floods halted it, a British court ruled it unfeasible. However, Marc Isambard Brunel developed the shield method, inspired by the shipworm, and, after many challenges, completed the Thames Tunnel in just 18 years. ▶ How can a massive underground tunnel be dug in just a few years? The days of manually digging tunnels with pickaxes or rock drills are over. The NATM method, which uses blasting to create a stable arch-shaped tunnel, and the TBM method, which utilizes a massive excavation machine with a total capacity of 30 million tons and a diameter of 14 meters, are now being used. We closely examine the installation and construction processes of each method at the Yangpyeong Icheon Tunnel and Paju Hangang Tunnel construction sites in Korea. ▶ Concerns and Solutions for Underground Roads Amidst concerns about underground road construction, such as various natural disasters and exhaust fumes, we traveled to Spain to investigate whether safety can be assured. We visit the M-30, the longest underground highway in Europe at 48km, to examine disaster preparedness measures and suggest future directions for underground road construction. ※ This video is from [Special - Underground], which aired on December 3, 2023. #TrafficCongestion #Underground #Road