The Construction of Seoul Subway Line 3 and 4

The traffic congestion of Seoul city has been one of the most serious problems to be settled since the advent of 1970s. As a means to mitigate traffic mess, the authority concerned launched the construction of subway line 3 and 4 in 1980. The two Subway lines slated for completion by 1985 cross each other and run north-south direction, passing through the metropolitan area of Seoul city fraught with high-rise edifices and large-scale shopping centers, and, in order to reduce blasting vibration, NATM was executed for a distance of 10 Km, instead of ASSM previously employed when subway line 1 and 2 were constructed. Tunnel blastings were implemented, preceded by classifying the rocks at construction area into five categories, namely, hard rock, semi-hard rock, weak rock weathered rock and silt and by calculating their respective specific charges through standard test blastings, by employing the pre-splitting and smooth blasting with drilling patterns of burn cut type, so as not to cause damages to surface structures. Most of explosives used were the slurry of low specific gravity and low velocity, and the firings executed by the use of milli-second detonators. Empiric formula were also formulated to check blasting vibrations, based on the vibration allowable values of West Germany standard, for the application to vulnerable construction zones. Should the two lines be placed for public service in 1985, about 40% of the total traffic population of Seoul city amounting to 15 million as of 1984 is estimated to be carried by subway with no difficulties.