The Directorate General of Highways (DGH) on Saturday ordered round-the-clock monitoring of 13 high-risk bridges and tighter inspections of 40 old bridges as a precautionary measure against the impact of Super Typhoon Jangmi, which made landfall yesterday, bringing with it heavy rain and wind.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications agency, which is in charge of bridges across the nation, has also authorized emergency workers to close the bridges to traffic if necessary.
Drivers can keep abreast of the latest road conditions by listening to the Police Radio Station.
GRAPHIC: TT
HOUFENG BRIDGE
PHOTO: CHIANG CHIH-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The agency has been working to ensure the safety of bridges ahead of Jangmi in light of the collapse of the Houfeng Bridge (后豐橋) in Taichung County during Typhoon Sinlaku, which caused two deaths and left four others missing earlier this month.
The DGH said that equipment and materials required to close bridges were in place at both ends of the 13 bridges. If the water rises to dangerous levels, frontline workers will immediately close the bridges to protect pedestrians and drivers, it said.
When a bridge is to be blocked, emergency workers will erect traffic pylons, alarm signals, warning lights and red flags at both ends of the bridge before building more complete structures to seal off the bridge.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTES
The agency has prepared maps detailing alternative routes and bulletin boards to facilitate the potential need to bypass the bridges.
The agency also ordered engineering units around the country to step up inspections of dangerous sections of road that may be prone to landslides, as the soil in mountainous areas has been saturated by two recent typhoons.
The Disaster Relief Center said yesterday that authorities were closely monitoring the water levels in rivers, particularly at 19 major bridges.
Meanwhile, the Taipei City Government closed the Rainbow Bridge (彩虹橋), which connects the Neihu (內湖) and Songshan (松山) districts, and the Nansheng Bridge (南深橋) in Nangang (南港) yesterday because of the heavy rainfall brought by Jangmi.
In related news, the DGH said in a statement that the landslide near the Fengciou Tunnel (豐丘隧道) in Nantou County’s Sinyi Township (信義), which caused seven deaths and nine injuries, was an “unavoidable accident.”
The accident occurred on Sept. 15 during torrential downpours brought by Sinlaku. The heavy rains caused a massive landslide on the mountain slope near the southern end of the tunnel on highway No. 21.
The DGH said it did not build any retaining structures on the slope because the vegetation appeared to be growing well and it was believed that it would hold the soil. However, the torrential rains brought by the typhoon saturated the soil, triggering a sudden massive landslide, the statement said.
The DGH said that it would summon experts and academics to devise strategies for avoiding similar disasters.
At least 14 people were killed and seven others reported missing earlier this month after Sinlaku pounded the country, causing bridges, hotels and houses to collapse.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH
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