BUSAN — An intelligent safety management system that uses artificial intelligence to detect hazards inside a tunnel before control room staff notice them is going into operation at Busan's Yunsan Tunnel.
Busan Infrastructure Corporation said on the 29th that it has installed an AI-based hazard detection system at the tunnel to prevent traffic accidents in real time and respond to sudden incidents. The system was jointly developed over 45 months by private specialist firms and university researchers, with a total of 2.7 billion won invested through a government-backed program.
The system combines AI with CCTV cameras and radar for real-time hazard detection. It automatically identifies stopped vehicles, fallen objects, wrong-way vehicles and pedestrians, as well as illegal lane changes and speeding vehicles. Previously, control room staff had to monitor CCTV screens continuously. Now the AI analyzes footage from inside the tunnel at all times and recognizes dangerous situations on its own.
Detected information is linked to variable message signs (VMS) inside the tunnel. When a crash or congestion occurs ahead, the signs automatically display warnings such as "Caution: congestion ahead" and "Reduce speed," and also show the distance to the point where the backup clears in real time. The setup goes beyond detecting an accident to helping following vehicles respond.
The corporation expects the system to cut the time between recognizing an incident and alerting drivers, lowering the risk of secondary crashes inside the tunnel, while also improving facility management efficiency through round-the-clock AI monitoring. Because it was jointly developed by local companies and research institutes, the corporation plans to use it as a smart safety management model that can be extended to other tunnels, underpasses and other urban infrastructure.
"AI technology is a core foundation for protecting citizens' lives and safety," a corporation official said. "We will actively adopt smart technology in urban infrastructure such as tunnels and roads to expand safety services that citizens can feel."
