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Official says that Suhua Highway is dangerous to drive

The Suhua Highway linking Suao (蘇澳) and Hualien in eastern Taiwan has become "dangerous" and requires costly maintenance, an Executive Yuan official in charge of public construction works said yesterday.

Wu Tze-cheng (吳澤成), chairman of the Public Construction Commission, said that the road, which was built alongside steep cliffs, had been eroded by the sea and experiences subsidence and rockfalls whenever there is heavy rain.

The highway is dangerous, requires constant maintenance and could "even disappear someday," Wu said.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said last month that "Hualien residents harbor high expectations" that the Suhua Freeway would be built and that construction could start provided a favorable environmental impact analysis report that reinforces an earlier environmental impact assessment could be obtained.

An environmental impact assessment on the proposed freeway was approved several years ago, but construction failed to start in the stipulated time because of continued controversy surrounding construction.

Wu said that after the Lunar New Year holiday it would become clear whether the freeway would be built.

For safety reasons as well as the establishment of an islandwide traffic network, another highway linking Suao and Hualien should be built, he said.

Wu said that the government should provide more information in a transparent way for the public to make a judgment, including the safety of the present highway, maintenance costs and its potential environmental impact.

Also see Editorial:
Editorial: The most dangerous road in Taiwan

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