Commuting between formerly hard-to-reach areas of Greater Taipei will soon be hassle-free, as the Directorate General of Highways announced yesterday that part of a special road would open in November.
Chen Jian-siang (陳建祥), director of the directorate’s Major Bridges Construction Office, said the 12.8km Special Second Roadway will connect Wugu (五股), Taishan (泰山), Sinjhuang (新莊), Banciao (板橋) and Tucheng (土城) in the Greater Taipei Metropolitan Area.
The overpass expressway will greatly ease traffic at the Jhonghe Interchange, he said.
“The section between the Wugu Interchange and Jhongcheng Road in Sinjhuang is 3.7km long,” Chen said. “Construction on that section, including ramps leading onto the expressways, is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month and will be open to motorists by the middle of November.”
Chen said the expressway would reduce travel time from 20 minutes to 4 minutes. In addition to the overpass expressway, other roads will also help ease congestion during rush hour, he said.
Southbound travelers will now be able access the section from its starting point in Wugu or Fongjiang Road in Taishan.
Northbound travelers, meanwhile, will be able to access the road via Jhongcheng Road or Fongjiang Road. Drivers exiting at Fongjiang Road will then have the option of continuing on the northbound ramp of the Wugu Interchange on National Freeway No. 1, while those exiting at Wugu will be able to take the southbound ramp on the Wugu Interchange or Provincial Highway No. 64.
Chen said the speed limit on the expressway would be 80kph, although motorists will be required to drive at 60kph on some sections.
The cost of the Special Second Roadway is estimated at NT$30.9 billion (US$966 million). The full expressway is expected to be completed by 2012, Chen said.
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