The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) yesterday approved a plan to upgrade the Suhua Highway that would cut travel time between Suao (蘇澳) and Hualien (花蓮) by 25 percent when work is completed in 2016.
Under the plan to enhance the safety of the highway, seven tunnels measuring 22.2km and 7.7km of viaducts and bridges will be built to replace dangerous sections of the road lining coastal cliffs, the council said.
The improved roadway will be 16.7km shorter than the existing single-lane 118km highway — the main artery connecting Yilan County and Hualien City that takes just under three hours to navigate and is vulnerable to landslides.
Most of the new construction will take place on the 77km section between Suao and Chongde Township (崇德), which lies at the entrance to the central cross-island highway leading to Taroko Gorge.
It usually takes about two hours to cover this stretch of road, but the council said travel time would be cut to 72 minutes once the modified roadway is completed.
Construction on the upgrade, estimated to cost NT$40 billion (US$1.24 billion), is expected to begin next year, the council said.
Before construction begins, however, the proposed project will have to pass an environmental impact review and be approved by the Executive Yuan.
The council said the main purpose in fixing the highway was to improve its safety, unlike other road upgrade plans that generally focus on expanding capacity and cutting travel time.
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