A section of the Suhua Highway (part of Highway No. 9) that was closed after a landslide last week reopened to traffic yesterday afternoon following repairs.
The landslide on Wednesday night crushed a 25m section of a rock shed near Dacingshuei (大清水) in Hualien County’s Sioulin Township (秀林), cutting off traffic in both directions.
The damaged portion of the highway connecting Yilan and Hualien counties was reopened on schedule at 5pm yesterday after around-the-clock repairs by the Directorate-General of Highways.
Photo courtesy of the Directorate General of Highways
Agency Director General Chen Wen-juei (陳文瑞) said that workers finished clearing 1,200m3 of debris on Saturday night and spent the early hours of yesterday reinforcing the damaged mountain slope with netting and concrete.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) inspected the site yesterday and expressed gratitude to the workers for their efforts.
The agency’s Fourth Maintenance Office said the section would be closed again from 7pm to early today, as the slope cannot be effectively monitored during the night.
From today through Wednesday, the section would be open daily from 5am to 8am, 11am to 1pm and 5pm to 7pm, it said, adding that overnight work at the site would continue.
There would be no traffic controls until the end of this month, as heavy traffic is expected during the Lunar New Year holiday, it added.
The agency last week estimated that about 3,000 vehicles pass the section in each direction on an average weekday, rising to 6,000 to 7,000 vehicles on weekends and more on national holidays.
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
RSS