Built in the Japanese colonial era, the 110-meter-long Tianlong Suspension Bridge, located close to the Southern Cross-Island Highway, is not only a historical landmark in Taitung County, it is also the only path out for residents of Litao Village in Haiduan Township when roads are blocked. It was previously classified as a spotlight attraction by the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area (ERV-NSA) Administration, but it was closed in July last year after experts classified it as a dangerous bridge, and remains closed even now. With no sign of construction, residents are left sighing as it loses its luster. The authority managing the bridge, the Haiduan Township Office, says that bridge inspections and renovation proposals are all done with the assistance of the ERV-NSA, and the cost of renovating the bridge would be around NT$30 million, for which they have yet to find the funding.
The year before last, when the ERV-NSA conducted periodic bridge structure checks in popular tourist areas that they cover, a team of experts discovered that some parts of the bridge were missing, so they classified the bridge as dangerous due to safety concerns and closed it in July last year. At the same time, related inspection work and renovation proposals were started. As the bridge is entirely owned by the Haiduan Township Office, after negotiations between the ERV-NSA, Haiduan Township and the Taitung County Government, it was determined that responsibility for renovating the bridge would lie with the Haiduan Township Office.
It is already a year since the bridge was closed, and residents cannot see any sign of renovation. With the arrival of the typhoon season, Typhoon Linfa brought heavy rain at the beginning of this month, causing the Liukou Hot Spring area along the Southern Cross-Island Highway to collapse. This resulted in a closure of outbound traffic for Litao Village residents. Faced with this emergency situation, the villagers can only walk across the Tianlong Suspension Bridge, which was already labeled as a dangerous structure. The villagers’ safety is therefore a great cause for concern. Residents of Haiduan Township regret even more that their bridge is no longer an attraction after being closed for so long, despite having once been the ERV-NSA’s crown jewel. Many tourists want to explore its beauty, but always meet a dead end.
(Liberty Times, Translated By Zane Kheir)
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者王秀亭
全長一百一十公尺的南橫天龍吊橋建於日治時期，是台東縣歷史建築，也是海端鄉利稻村居民在公路中斷，唯一聯外通道，曾被花東縱谷國家風景區管理處列為珍珠亮點。經專家認定危橋後，去年七月封橋至今，未有動工跡象。在地居民大嘆，亮點根本亮不起來。管理單位海端鄉公所表示，橋樑體檢及整修建議都是縱管處協助，但所需經費近三千萬元，經費仍待向上爭取。
縱管處前年進行轄區觀光景點橋樑定期結構鑑定時，專家團隊發現部分零件損失，有安全疑慮列為危橋，去年七月封橋，同時展開相關檢測工作及整修建議。因該橋為海端鄉公所所有，經縱管處、海端鄉公所、台東縣政府協調後，確定整修之責由海端鄉公所負責。
封橋迄今已逾一年，民眾眼見修橋毫無動靜，颱風季節來臨，月初蓮花颱風外圍環流大雨，南橫公路六口溫泉段坍方，致使利稻村民對外交通中斷；遇上緊急狀況，只能徒步走已被列危橋的天龍吊橋進出，居民安危讓人擔憂。海端鄉民更是大嘆，縱管處的珍珠亮點因為封橋早就不亮了，許多遊客想一探美景，總是撲空。
(自由時報記者王秀亭)
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