A bridge in Greater Kaohsiung that was destroyed by massive flooding triggered by Typhoon Morakot in August 2009 opened to traffic on Saturday after being rebuilt with funds donated by China.
The Huoshan Bridge on the Jiaxian-Shanlin section of the No. 21 provincial highway was one of dozens of bridges and roads in mountainous areas of Kaohsiung that were partially or entirely damaged by the storm, the Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council said.
Knowing that Taiwan needed funds to get the area back on its feet, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) jointly raised funds from Chinese donors to help rebuild the bridge, the council said.
Photo: CNA
The reconstruction of Huoshan Bridge began in November last year, with the Taiwan Mazu Fellowship, a religious civic group, commissioned to take charge of the project, which was completed at a cost of NT$540 million (US$18.46 million).
Described as an extradosed bridge, which is similar to a cable-stayed bridge but with a lower tower, Huoshan Bridge now stretches 280m.
It was designed based on ideas inspired by the roofs of local temples and the crown of Matsu (媽祖), the goddess of the sea who is widely worshiped in Taiwan, Taiwan Mazu Fellowship honorary chairman Yen Chin-piao (顏清標) said during the inauguration ceremony.
The bridge’s opening was also witnessed by Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council chief executive Chern Jenn-chuan (陳振川), Deputy Kaohsiung Mayor Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森) and ARATS Vice Chairman Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中).
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of