The Taipei Dome could collapse if construction were immediately halted, which could affect the operation of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System’s Bannan Line, or Line 5, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
“As long as the base structure of the [Dome’s] site is unfinished, there is a risk of it collapsing,” Ko said.
Ko acknowledged concerns that the Dome’s construction might have caused damage to a historical site — the former Songshan Tobacco Factory — but said that its potential effect on the MRT line, which runs out to Taipei’s Nangang District (南港), if construction is stopped is “even more worrisome.”
Photo: CNA
Ko made the comments as questions were raised over the city’s response to the latest revelations of damage to the tobacco factory site.
He said the damage was discovered after an earthquake on Monday.
Taipei Department of Rapid Transportation Systems Commissioner Chou Li-liang (周禮良) said that as the basement of the Dome is being constructed from the top down, the structure cannot be stabilized until the lowest level of the basement is completed.
Given the Dome’s size, it would inevitably affect the MRT’s Bannan Line, which runs along the construction site’s southern border, should it collapse, he said.
However, the risk of a collapse is minimal according to the department’s previous analysis, with current site readings within the acceptable range, he said.
Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Executive Secretary Liu De-chien (劉得堅) said that 14 new cracks were found at the tobacco factory site after Monday’s earthquake.
Last month, the city government said it was fining contractor Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設) following the discovery of subsidence at the former Songshan Tobacco Factory, causing cracks and tilting in the complex’s smokestack.
The department yesterday presented its report on previous damage at the site to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
Although the city government has already announced the penalties, they still need to be approved by judicial authorities before they can be levied, Liu said.
Meanwhile, in response to a Farglory news conference yesterday rejecting the results of a city committee report on the Dome’s safety, Taipei Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) said that the simulations run by the committee could stand the test of public scrutiny, with all relevant information uploaded online.
He reiterated the city’s position that the site would not be allowed to operate without guarantees over public safety.
Farglory is welcome to send representatives to the city government for discussions, or to present alternative plans for improving safety at the site, he said.
ANTI-SHIP CONFIGURATION: The Tuo Chiang-class vessels are to be built for NT$9.7 billion by Lung Teh, a shipyard that previously built four similar corvettes for the navy The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday awarded Lung Teh Shipbuilding (龍德造船) a NT$9.7 billion Co (US$317.57 million) contract to build five Tuo Chiang-class corvettes with anti-ship capabilities, a defense official familiar with the matter said yesterday. The corvettes would carry vertical launchers for four Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) missiles, as well as eight Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, in contrast to ships configured for anti-air warfare, which carry eight HF-2 and four HF-3 missiles, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The anti-ship corvettes would be armed for improved standoff range against surface combatants and carry the latest
‘COINCIDENCE’: The former president should keep in mind local and global response to his actions and abide by the law to safeguard national interests, the MAC said The Presidential Office yesterday confirmed that it has received an application from former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to visit China next week and would be discussing his security detail. “As the travel restrictions on former president Ma have expired, we respect his plan to pay respect to his ancestors in China,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said. “We will review his travel plan and consult concerned agencies to assist him in arranging his security detail.” “We also hope that Ma, as a former commander in chief of Taiwan, acts in a manner that aligns with national interests and does not hurt
‘NOTHING NEW’: China should not use Tsai Ing-wen’s transits through the US as a pretext to step up aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait, a Washington official said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to stop over in the US on her way to and from Central America next week, but her administration would not confirm a meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Tsai’s delegation is to leave Taipei on Wednesday next week and stop over in New York City, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) told a news conference yesterday. Tsai is then to head to Guatemala on Saturday next week for talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and to meet with Taiwanese expatriates, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. On April 3, Tsai is scheduled to travel
Taiwan is to obtain maintenance parts for its AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, after the Republic of China Defense Mission to the US and the American Institute in Taiwan signed a NT$1.44 billion (US$47.1 million) deal that is to be in effect until Sept. 15, 2028. Taiwan operates 29 Apaches. The US is concerned that if China were to blockade Taiwan, it would be impossible to supply the nation with military equipment, natural gas, coal and other items, a military source said on condition of anonymity. The deal seeks to ensure stable supply of maintenance parts for the Apaches to keep them operational
RSS