Fifteen years after construction began, the Hsuehshan tunnel (
The tunnel project began on July 15, 1991, with construction spanning the terms of two presidents and eight premiers.
To mark the start of the tunnel's operation, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will preside over a ceremony in Shihding (石碇) in memory of workers who died during the tunnel's construction. He will then drive through the tunnel, giving former premiers Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Yu Shyi-kun and Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) a ride to the home of Yu's family in Ilan.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
During the initial operating period, traffic will be restricted to small cars, and the driving speed will be limited to between 50kph and 70kph.
Trucks and other large vehicles will have to get off the expressway at the Pinglin (
Drivers must turn on their headlights and keep a distance of 50m from other vehicles. They may not change lanes once inside the tunnel.
Violations of these regulations will result of a fine of between NT$3,000 and NT$24,000.
According to a CNA report, officials said that the police have installed four speed-monitoring cameras each inside the south and northbound lanes of the tunnel, and police will travel through the tunnel at 20 minute to 30 minute intervals to assure that traffic regulations are being followed.
The Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau anticipates traffic jams on the Chiang Wei-shui Freeway (Freeway No. 5) between Taipei and Ilan, as many people plan to drive through the tunnel on its opening day. They asked the public to listen to the Police Radio Station on FM 104.9 for the latest traffic updates.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has invited past premiers and ministers of the MOTC to attend the opening of the tunnel.
Due to the expected influx of tourists, Ilan County hotels, B&Bs and restaurants will offer discounts to attract customers, and commemorative stamps, coins and alcohol will be available, according to a CNA report.
President Chen Shui-bian (
"It is not right to politicize or smear a simple construction project because they do not like A-bian [Chen's nickname] or his administration," he said in his latest weekly e-newsletter. "It is the biggest humiliation and a significant blow to the feelings of the 25 workers who lost their lives during the construction project, and the tens of thousands of engineers who have committed their time and energy to the 15-year project."
While the freeway belongs to the people and the pictures inside the tunnel are not painted in political colors, Chen said that the people would be the final judge on the project.
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
also see story:
Editorial: There's unity in tunnel vision
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique