A pedestrian overpass on the intersection of Xinyi and Keelung roads close to Taipei 101 could be demolished next year due to its low usage, the Taipei Department of Public Works said.
Taipei Department of Public Works Maintenance Section head Chen Bing-lin (陳炳麟) said that in October last year zebra crossings were added to the intersection under the L-shaped overpass and now about 90 percent of pedestrians have stopped using the overpass and it is nearly redundant.
Chen said the department would submit a budget request for the demolition of the overpass to the Taipei City Council in September.
He said that the department in January sealed off the overpass for 21 days to test the response and that it received a dozen e-mails of complaint from city residents, most of whom were photography enthusiasts who wanted to take time-lapse photographs of the traffic flowing past Taipei 101.
He said that the demolition would improve the urban landscape.
The city has since 2012 embarked on a project to tear down overpasses and seal off underground passages that are rarely used, with eight overpasses and nine underground passages to be decommissioned this year at a cost of NT$35 million (US$1.07 milliom), Chen said.
The city has 79 overpasses, with the 46-year-old one next to Xing Ya Elementary School in Xinyi District (信義) being the oldest, Chen said, adding that it is to be preserved due to its historical status.
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