President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said during an inspection of a project to improve the Suhua Highway that she was confident it would be completed on schedule by Jan. 5.
Residents in eastern Taiwan would be able to use the renovated highway before the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Jan. 24, Tsai said.
It was her third inspection tour of the NT$52.88 billion (US$1.73 billion) project started in 2011.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
The 38.8km project covers three sections along Taiwan’s rugged east coast — from Suao Township (蘇澳) to Dongao Township (東澳) in Yilan County; from Nanao Township (南澳) in Yilan to Heping Township (和平) in Hualien County; and from Hejhong (和中) to Dacingshuei (大清水) in Hualien.
The first stretch was completed and opened on Feb. 5 last year, while the other two sections are about 92.85 percent complete, Suhua Improvement Engineering Office Director Shau How-jei (邵厚潔) said.
The two segments comprise 29.1km of road, 20.7km of which run through five tunnels, he said during Tsai’s inspection of the Renshuei Tunnel (仁水隧道).
The Directorate-General of Highways is carrying out its final tests on the project, in particular the electrical and engineering systems, to ensure that the tunnels are safe, Shau said.
The highway, the main artery connecting Yilan and Hualien, was a narrow, winding, accident-prone road along the Pacific Ocean that was also vulnerable to landslides.
The need for an upgrade gained urgency in 2010, when Typhoon Megi triggered lethal landslides on the road, killing 26 people.
The renovated highway is expected to improve road safety, reduce travel time and boost tourism in Yilan and Hualien, the agency said.
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