To ensure the safety of over 7,584 bridges in Taiwan following the lessons learned from the collapse of the Kaoping Bridge (高屏大橋), the Minister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) demanded relevant government units begin an overall checkup on the status of bridges across the nation.
The collapse injured 22 people yesterday. The precise cause of the accident is still under investigation, but illegal gravel quarrying upstream and inefficient structural maintenance have been suggested as possibly causes of the accident.
Linking Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, the Kaoping Bridge was under the administration of the Highway Bureau.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
The bureau yesterday said that Typhoon Bilis increased the water level of the Kaoping River running beneath the bridge and this impacted upon the bridge supports and triggered its collapse.
However, professionals said the typhoon only accelerated the deterioration of the bridge's already-poor condition. Many said sloppy maintenance also threatened the stability of the bridge.
The design of the Kaoping Bridge was originally approved by the highways bureau, and it was subsequently opened to traffic in 1978. But constant erosion by the Kaoping River (
The ministry said that it had spent over NT$20 million to repair the Kaoping Bridge 10 times since 1988. The latest strengthening of the bridge was conducted in January of this year.
It was a great surprise for Chou Chang-chin (
The bridge was labelled as "dangerous" after Typhoon Herb struck Taiwan in 1996, after which it was discovered that some of the bridge's piers had become exposed.
Chairman of the Taiwan Civil Engineers Association (
"The accident has much to do with maintenance. This was often undertaken by the government without supervision by professionals," Chang said.
Environmentalist Yang Ping-yu (
The government has banned gravel excavations in the Kaoping River since 1997 but Yang said some companies were collaborating with organized crime and local assembly deputies, and have been reported as still running illegal operations there.
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