Mayor Son: 'We will do our best to make Paju a safe city'
Paju has completed the installation of automatic vehicle-blocking systems at all 13 city-managed underpasses to prevent flooding accidents during heavy and sudden downpours.
The project ran from August 2024 through September 2026 — roughly two years — at a total cost of 6 billion won ($4.47 million).
The automatic blocking systems are safety facilities designed to swiftly restrict vehicle entry when flooding threatens an underpass during heavy rain, preventing casualties and property damage before they occur.
Amid growing nationwide concern over underpass flooding as climate change drives more frequent sudden downpours, Paju secured project funding and proactively installed the systems across all 13 city-managed underpasses.
The installations are expected to enable rapid vehicle control during disasters such as heavy rain and significantly reduce gaps in initial response during sudden emergencies.
Building on the project's completion, the city plans to strengthen facility inspections at each underpass and step up on-site response based on weather conditions. When weather alerts are issued, the city will closely check risk factors at each underpass and continuously reinforce its response framework to ensure swift on-site control and situation updates as needed.
Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan called the completion of automatic blocking systems at all 13 city-managed underpasses "a proactive safety measure to protect the lives and property of our citizens," adding that the city would "continue to strengthen inspections and safety management of disaster-vulnerable facilities to do our best to make Paju a safe city."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
