The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said that it expects to open the first section of the improved Suhua Expressway before the Lunar New Year holiday.
Opening the first stretch of the new expressway, which is 9.7km long and runs from Yilan County’s Suao (蘇澳) to Hualien County’s Dongao (東澳), would save drivers up to 20 minutes of travel time, the ministry said.
Driving from one end to the other on the old expressway took about 30 minutes, while doing so on the improved section takes about 10 to 12 minutes, the ministry said.
Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei Times
Traffic congestion is likely to occur on any newly opened highway, especially if the opening takes place near the Lunar New Year holiday, Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) said.
The ministry expects the worst of the congestion to take place during the two days prior to the Lunar New Year on Feb. 16 and on the last day of the holiday, while lower traffic volumes are expected on other days during the period, he said.
Demand for road space far exceeds its capacity and congestion is inevitable, he added.
Traffic controls alone cannot ease congestion, but the ministry will use information services to divert traffic from congested roads and warn drivers against entering highways during peak traffic hours while removing obstructions, he said.
“I hope the public will bear the traffic over the Lunar New Year period with patience, though I know this sounds cliched,” Hochen said.
Initially, the improved section would be open only to cars, small buses and pickup trucks, although the ministry might open the road to bigger vehicles and motorcycles later if conditions are favorable, he said.
Motorcycles are banned on the improved road, as there are several tunnels that are more than 3km long and the ministry is concerned that engine exhaust could affect motorcyclists, Hochen said.
However, the ministry does not rule out allowing motorcycles entering the expressway and a decision would be made when more information becomes available, he said.
The speed limit on the improved section is 60kph, he said, adding that the speed limit “does not necessarily reduce road capacity when the proper distance between vehicles is maintained.”
As more sections of the expressway are completed, the ministry will evaluate raising the speed limit, he said.
The improved expressway is to be 38.8km long when all three sections are complete.
The first section begins at Suao’s Sugang Road, crosses the region’s hills via the Suao Tunnel, continues south on Baimi Bridge along the Suao River, before passing Yongle Bridge near Yongle Railway Station.
The road then proceeds to the Dongao and Dongyue tunnels before merging with the old Suhua Expressway.
The second section of the road is to run between Yilan’s Nanao (南澳) and Heping (和平) townships, while the third section is to run between Heping and Hualien’s Dacingshuei (大清水).
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