Despite the calls of local legislators for an expressway to be built between Hualien and Taitung, the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) yesterday said it is unlikely the project would ever be commissioned.
Hualien Legislator Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), had asked the central government to budget NT$100 billion (U$3.08 billion) to build an expressway connecting Hualien and Taitung, saying that it would take 10 years to complete.
The proposal was also supported by several Taitung City councilors, who said that the expressway is a necessity for the people of the area.
The cost of the project is justified, as the road would help to improve the transport links of the east coast, boost the tourism industry and shorten the time needed to transport people with medical emergencies, they said.
It is unreasonable that residents of the west coast can visit Taitung easily, but people in Taitung are not allowed to address their own transport problems, they said.
The directorate said it has looked into the proposal, and the estimated cost of the construction exceeds NT$90 billion, while it would take about six years to complete.
The highway authority said it began investigating the feasibility of the project about three years ago, when Hualien and Taitung councilors expressed concern about the potential for traffic levels to increase after the Suhua Highway Improvement project is completed next year.
The directorate said that its research incorporated opinions gathered from public hearings, adding that it would submit a paper to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications after it finishes final revisions.
According to the directorate, the proposals call for a 160km-long expressway to be built between south Hualien and north Taitung, with a section of the expressway designed to be able to land military aircraft. Parallel to Highway No. 9, the highway would have 14 interchanges and a speed limit of 80kph.
However, research shows that traffic between Hualien and Taitung would not reach problematic levels even after the improved Suhua Highway begins to be used, the directorate said, adding that the project would not be cost effective.
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