The Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) yesterday said it would increase the number of hours for traffic in the summer as well as in the winter on the Central Cross-Island Highway (Highway No. 8), adding that non-residents would still be barred from traveling on the highway.
Built by military veterans, the 190km roadway connecting Greater Taichung and Hualien County was opened in 1960. It was severely damaged by the 921 Earthquake in 1999. Though the government spent NT$2 billion (US$67 million) repairing the highway following requests from local residents, nearly all the renovation work was destroyed in floods caused by Typhoon Mindulle in 2004.
The DGH eventually decided to suspend reconstruction efforts on the highway.
At present, both local residents and non-residents must bypass the road section between Guguan (谷關) and Deji (德基) in Greater Taichung to access Highway No. 8.
Director-General of Highways Wu Meng-fen (吳盟分) said the DGH had invested NT$400 million in building seven new tunnels on the route since 2010, adding that construction is scheduled to be completed next month.
“We opened the highway for traffic at 7am as well as at 5pm daily starting in November last year,” Wu said. “We estimate that we can have more hours for traffic in May as well as in the summer and winter.”
Wu said there would be seven periods in the summer and five periods in the winter when the highway would be open, adding that it would still be closed at night.
Wu emphasized that the highway was open only to local residents.
Meanwhile, the DGH has published a book on the history of the Central Cross-Island Highway.
According to the DGH, more than 19,000 workers and engineers were involved in its construction.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS