The westbound tunnel of the Hsuehshan Tunnel was temporarily closed yesterday after a large amount of smog set off the fire alarm system at around 3:49pm.
The smog was cleared away after the entrances were closed around 4pm, and the tunnel was later reopened at 4:30pm.
The 30-minute shutdown caused traffic outside the tunnel to back up for about one kilometer.
At a press conference later yesterday, Minister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) Kuo Yao-chi (
The Traffic Control Center in Pinglin (
Kuo said that she has ordered Bane Chiou (
Kuo also took the opportunity to criticize a report in the China Times which said that academics have warned that the temperature inside the tunnel will reach 50?C whenever there is traffic congestion. The report said that motorists could get heat stroke if they are stuck in the traffic in the tunnel for more than 30 minutes, even if they stay in cars whose air-conditioners are on for the entire time.
"[The report] was based on false hypothetical conditions, which then led to [the reporter's] false conclusions," she said, "And it further used these false conclusions and came up with an incorrect prediction."
Meanwhile, the bureau issued an official statement in response to the report, saying that the Hsuehshan Tunnel will not get overheated under any circumstances and that the ventilation system inside the tunnel will automatically be activated when carbon monoxide levels get too high.
The bureau's chief engineer Tseng Dar-jen (
Tseng added that 72 observation points have been installed in the tunnel to closely monitor changes in temperature and air quality. Changes in temperature are unlikely to affect drivers' safety, he said.
Tseng said that a special ventilation system is activated when carbon monoxide density reaches 55ppm, he said.
However, according to Tseng, the average density of carbon monoxide has only reached 10ppm so far.
Yesterday's incident marked the first time the tunnel was forced to shut down completely since it was officially opened last month.
The tunnel, which at 12.9km is the world's fourth longest, was opened amid concerns over its safety, particularly regarding the tunnel operators' ability to handle emergency situations.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard