High costs hinder expansion of snow-melting road heaters

[Anchor]

Accidents have been occurring all over the roads.

Sloped areas, like hills, are more dangerous, but places with heated wires have less difficulty in traffic as the snow melts quickly.

It would be great to install more of these heated wires, but the problem is the high cost.

Reporter Kim Min-hyuk has the story.

[Report]

On a hill in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, people are pushing a village bus stuck in the snow with all their might.

["Yes!!"]

After some struggle, it finally starts to move up.

Heavy snowfall on a sloped road poses a greater threat.

[Kim Tae-hong/Motorcycle delivery driver: "There are strange roads. In that case, I can walk while pulling it, or if I can't go, I might have to walk."]

We found a steep road in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

Although a lot of snow has fallen, it is hard to find any traces of it.

Looking at the asphalt, deep grooves are visible.

This is the section where 'road heating wires' are installed.

When it snows, the heating system buried under the road maintain a temperature of over 2 degrees Celsius, melting the snow.

The difference in driving conditions before and after the installation of the heating wires is significant.

[Yang Dong-soon/Village bus driver: "When it snows, as long as you are careful in the early morning, it seems there are no major issues. The heating wires are very convenient."]

Pedestrians feel the same way.

[Resident of Mapo-gu, Seoul: "It's relatively better because of the heating wires. Before they were installed, it was so inconvenient that we could hardly go up."]

The effectiveness has been proven, but the problem is the high cost.

Installing 100 meters of heating wire costs about 100 million won, and there are additional maintenance costs.

There are calls to prioritize and quickly expand the installation.

[Jeong Chang-sam/Professor of Smart Construction Disaster Prevention at Induk University/KBS Disaster Broadcasting Expert: "Specific sections, such as slopes or areas where the elderly and children frequently pass..."]

The Seoul city government has announced plans to increase the number of heated wire sections to a total of 648 by the end of the year.

This is KBS News, Kim Min-hyuk.