The Taipei Public Works Department has put public lives at risk for failing to come with concrete measures to reinforce the structure of the sinking Minquan Bridge (民權大橋), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chou Po-ya (周柏雅) said.
Chou’s comment came in the wake of Taipei Public Works Commissioner Peng Cheng-shen’s (彭振聲) comments that the bridge, which connects Songshan (松山) and Neihu (內湖) districts, had sunk about 30cm because of soil liquefaction, but that starting reinforcement work would cause traffic problems.
The department said the bridge is still safe, but that the problem must be dealt with in the long run.
Chou on Monday asked if the department’s inaction would put public lives at risk and whether its concern over traffic congestion was prompted by its possible negative impact on Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) re-election bid.
According to a Ministry of the Interior map, areas in Taipei that are at-risk to soil liquefaction are: Zhongshan (中山), Songshan, Neihu and the Keelung River (基隆河) riverside near Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport).
High potential soil liquefaction areas also include an area that stretches from Tiding Boulevard (堤頂大道) by the Keelung River riverside to the overpass on Keelung Road and ends at the northern side of Taipei City Hall MRT station, which encompasses four bridges, including Minquan Bridge.
Chou said that following the collapse of a motorway bridge in Genoa, Italy, he reviewed the department’s 2016-2017 bridge inspection reports and found discrepancies in the tests conducted for bridges across the city.
Some examinations cover more than 20 items, including safety, such as stability and reinforcement corrosion, while others cover only three or five items.
The reports showed that the old Huannan Overpass (舊環南高架橋) and Minquan Bridge did not pass the safety examinations, he said, adding that the bridge failed three of the six safety tests and barely passed another one.
As Peng has confirmed that the bridge has sunk about 30cm, Chou asked if the state would compensate the public if there was an accident.
“How can the department say the bridge is safe when the examination reports show that it failed so many safety items, and why did the government not allocate a budget to reinforce its structure next year,” he asked.
Department Deputy Commissioner Chang Yu-huei (張郁慧) said the bridge is considered safe, based on the latest evaluation reports, but the problem must be dealt with.
However, the department has not discussed whether it should be reinforced or demolished and rebuilt, so only road resurfacing work is being done for the time being, Chang said.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,