Civic groups and legislators yesterday said an urban renewal project located next to Bitan Bridge (碧潭大橋) in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Sindian Disctrict (新店) may cause structural damage to the bridge pier and may be a possible danger to the public.
The Bitan Bridge was built 70 years ago and along with its nearby riverside area, has become a popular tourist attraction in New Taipei City, where tourists frequently bike along a trail which runs along the river.
However, according to Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇), an urban renewal project approved by the New Taipei City Government located right next to the bridge is likely to place the public in danger and would also compromise cultural heritage.
She questioned the legitimacy of the project, asking why the scheme proposed by a private developer was approved when up to two-thirds of the project was located on land that belongs to public agencies — including the Taiwan Railway Administration, the Ministry of Finance’s National Property Bureau and the New Taipei City Government.
Civil engineer Wang Wei-min (王偉民) said the bridge pier counted as an urban renewal project area and that soil excavation up to 15m underground, located only about one meter from the closest bridge pier, could cause serious structural damage to the bridge.
“It is also possible that even before the developers begin soil excavation, the tremors from the initial land preparation operation will loosen the ground near the anchor pier and suspensions cable will break,” Wang said at a press conference hosted by Tien yesterday.
Tien urged the local government to push the construction area back as far as possible from the bridge pier to prevent jeopardizing public safety.
Local residents also expressed concerns over the base of the bridge pier which is exposed above ground, showing suspension cables which are only anchored in concreted land.
The Organization of Urban Re-s said the project was approved by the local city government in April, but that the public land upon which the project is being constructed should not be transferred into private hands because that would contradict the New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) election promise of affordable housing policy.
In response, the city’s Urban and Rural Development Department said it has always put emphasis on maintaining the safety of the bridge and its suspension cables and that the bridge surface was renewed in 2000 with surveillance cameras set up near the pier base to monitor its stability.
Director of the department, Chang Fan (張璠), said the safety of the suspension cables and piers have been evaluated at urban renewal project meetings and that the city government would continue to monitor the project’s structural and construction safety.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS