Sinfa Bridge in Greater Kaohsiung, which was destroyed by Typhoon Morakot in 2009, will be reopened on Saturday, the Directorate General of Highways (DGH) said yesterday.
The new steel bridge was built and funded by China Steel Co, the agency said. The old Sinfa Bridge, which was 228m long and 9m wide, was completed in 1995 and served as an important link between Liouguei (六龜) and the South Link Highway.
The state-run steel company donated NT$500 million (US$17.4 million) to build the bridge, which is now 465m long and 13m wide and was made using steel truss girders. The bridge has six piers, but only one pier was laid in the river to reduce the impact of strong water currents on the structure during the rainy season, the directorate said.
The agency said the bridge was also designed to withstand bigger earthquakes.
The new bridge was expected to be completed on June 30, but construction proceeded faster than expected and it was finished at the end of last month.
The directorate will hold a ceremony to celebrate the project’s completion on Saturday.
The DGH listed 94 bridges around the country that need to be rebuilt after Morakot hit the south. To date, 25 have been completed and 22 are under construction.
A further 12 bridges are to be completed by August next year.
In all, 35 will have to be rebuilt at a new site.
Sinfa Bridge was not the first steel bridge built by China Steel. The company helped rebuild the Dongshi Bridge, located in front of Liouguei Christian Orphanage in Greater Kaohsiung, after it was destroyed by Typhoon Minduli in 2004.
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