The Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) yesterday stipulated a series of measures to ease congestion that is likely to occur in Yilan County’s Suao (蘇澳) after the first phase of the Suhua Highway Improvement Project is completed at the end of this year.
The project was launched in 2011 to enhance safety on Highway No. 9, which is considered the nation’s most dangerous highway.
The section between Suao and Dongao (東澳), the site of the first phase of the project, might become operational either by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
The opening will cause traffic coming from the Chiang Wei-shui Freeway (Freeway No. 5) and Hualien to coalesce in the small town of Suao, leading to severe congestion, Yilan County Commissioner Wu Tze-cheng (吳澤成) said.
He said that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should quickly connect Highway No. 9 and Freeway No. 5 to ease the problem.
Traffic flow simulations show that between 400 and 2,600 small cars would be added to one-way traffic next year following the completion of the first phase of the project, DGH deputy chief engineer Lee Chung-chang (李忠璋) said.
Between 7,000 and 8,000 small cars drive on the route every weekday, he said, adding that the traffic volume would reach between 10,000 and 15,000 on weekends and holidays.
Congestion could easily emerge in six areas in Suao, including the stretch between Masai and Haishan W roads, Lee said.
To ease the backups, the directorate will rearrange lanes and adjust traffic signals in these intersections, Lee said, adding that some traffic infrastructure in the town would also be revamped or redesigned.
Vehicles heading different directions are to also be separated to avoid collisions, he said.
Lee said that people usually drive past Suao to go to either Nanfangao (南方澳), known for its seafood, or further south to Hualien.
When drivers from Taipei exit Freeway No. 5, those heading to Nanfangao are to turn left on Masai Road and continue on Freeway No. 2, Lee said.
People traveling to Hualien are to stay on Haishan W Road, which would then lead to the start of Suhua Highway, he said.
The measures are to help reduce the average waiting time in Suao during peak hours — 10am to 4pm on weekends or holidays — from between 46.8 seconds and 139.6 seconds to between 38 seconds and 100.9 seconds, Lee said.
The National Freeway Bureau is still studying the feasibility of connecting Highway No. 9 and Freeway No. 5, Lee added.
“The bureau can only begin the construction after it secures approval from the environmental impact assessment committee,” he said, adding that the entire process could take four to five years.
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