More than 60 percent of major public construction projects in Taipei City have experienced delays in construction, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors said yesterday, accusing the city government of inefficiency and wastefulness.
Of 311 public construction projects with budgets of more than NT$50 million (US$1.5 million) in Taipei, 190 are behind schedule, with each project delayed by more than 125 days on average, DPP Taipei City councilors Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤), Chou Wei-yo (周威佑) and Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a press conference at the Taipei City Council.
The councilors said poor design and inefficiency were two major factors behind the delays and urged the city government to improve the situation.
“Major public construction projects are crucial for a city and construction delays, even for one day, cause serious damage to municipal budgets and the city’s overall competitiveness,” Wu said.
The projects that experienced the longest delays include the bus lane construction on Zhongxiao E Road and reconstruction of Shihlin Market, Hsu said.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) initiated the projects when he was Taipei mayor and left all that “baggage” behind for Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), she said.
Construction work on the bus lane on Zhongxiao E Road between Linsen S Road and Guangfu S Road was announced in 2006 and was initially scheduled to be complete in 2007.
Once in office, Hau suspended the project amid fears that the bus lane would cause serious traffic congestion. However, he refused to acknowledge that the project was a mistake.
The municipal sports center in Wenshan (文山) District, which was scheduled to be completed in April, was also on the construction delay list because the New Construction Office mistook the completion date as April last year.
Weng Ruei-ting (翁瑞廷), deputy commissioner of the city’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, said the city government held a public construction review meeting every month to keep track of major public construction projects.
He acknowledged the delays and promised to demand that all departments meet deadlines.
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