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Freeway Bureau touts eco-friendly construction project

An efficient, eco-friendly technique is being used to construct a section of an overpass along the Bali-Sindian Expressway (八里新店快速公路), the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau said yesterday.

The 11.9km expressway is being built to ease the traffic surrounding the Port of Taipei, which is under construction in Bali.

The bureau said an incremental launching method was used for the construction of the 900m section of the Chengchou Interchange (成州交流道) between Bali (八里) and Wugu (五股).

Chang Chung-ching (張純青), director of the bureau's first engineering office, said it was the first time the technique was being used to erect a section that would be entirely welded together.

Chang said engineers measured the distance between the two piers and determined the number of steel sections that would be needed to span them. Each block consists of seven smaller steel sections, which are of equal size and weight. These sections were then placed next to each other on a platform and welded together.

A couple of sections form a segment, and a mechanism -- such as hydraulic jacks -- will be used to push each segment forward to join the one in front, he said.

James Hu (胡榮生), an engineer at the first engineering office, said the method is frequently used in metropolitan areas.

"Sections are transported to the construction site and are lifted up to the working platform, which leaves plenty of room on the ground," he said. "This allows construction to proceed without disrupting traffic."

Hu said that unlike concrete, steel is a recyclable material. He said if the overpass were one day torn down, the steel could be used for other purposes.

Although the project will cost twice as much as it would have if a more traditional method were used, Hu said the long-term impact of the project had to be considered.

The bureau estimated that the project will cost NT$2.78 billion (US$84.2 million).

The overpass was designed to be 22.8m wide, with two southbound lanes and two northbound lanes.

As of last month, close to 48 percent of the overpass was complete.

The bureau aims to finish the project by the end of next year.
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