In an effort to ease traffic around the Yuanshan Tunnel, the Taipei City Government intends to close off Zhongshan Second Bridge starting from Lunar New Year.
It will also commence renovation work on the Xinsheng Overpass in July and complete the New Zhongshan Bridge (
Traffic in the Yuanshan area -- especially in Dazhi (大直) and Shilin (士林) -- is expected to enter a difficult period between Lunar New Year and September 2009, when work on the Xinsheng Overpass will be completed, Taipei City Transportation Department Deputy Commissioner Lin Li-yu (林麗玉) said. She called on residents to avoid driving around the area during that period.
Alternatives
To avoid congestion, drivers are encouraged to use Chengde Rd, Chongqing N Rd and the Taipei Songshan Airport Underpass as alternative routes, she added.
Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), director of the New Construction Department, said the work on the Xinsheng Overpass included tearing down the section that crosses the Keelung River and the north approach to the bridge.
This phase of the project is to be followed by reconstruction and maintenance operations on the overpass.
"Traffic in the Yuanshan area has been a big headache for Taipei and we've tried many ways to address the situation. We are counting on the reconstruction project to solve the problem and ease traffic," Lee said during an inspection tour.
Concerns
While the city government said it was confident in the project's success, Taiwan Solidarity Union Taipei City Councilor Chen Chien-ming (
Lee said that the department will put concrete barriers along the bridge to deal with the safety concerns.
The Zhongshan New Bridge will also cater to scooter drivers, as the bridge will include an exclusive lane for motorcycles, Lee added.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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