A new bridge in the mountains of southern Taiwan, boasting the nation’s tallest bridge pier at 99m, opened for traffic on Saturday.
Guchuan Bridge (谷川大橋) is the only link to the outside for the isolated mountain village of Wutai (霧台) in Pingtung County, and was completed after four years of construction in difficult terrain.
The bridge spans the valley of Ailiaobei River (隘寮北溪), and is 654m long and 10m wide, replacing an original bridge, known as Wutai No. 1 Bridge, which was destroyed by debris and floodwater during tMorakot Typhoon in August 2009.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
A Directorate General of Highways official said the new bridge design addressed possible damage by flash floods during the typhoon season by increasing the distance between bridge piers, and only one pier set within the regular river flow.
That bridge pier stands at a height of 99m, which is equal to a 33-story building. It is now the highest bridge pier in Taiwan,” the official said, who declined to be named.
“The diameter of the bridge pier is about the same as the deck of the bridge at 10m. It is designed to withstand the erosion of the river’s rushing waters. Local residents should have no worries that the bridge piers will get washed out by flood waters,” he added.
The official said there were many problems that were overcome during the bridge construction.
“At times, in this mountain area we had strong winds of 5 to 6 [on the Beaufort wind scale]. Also we had thunder strikes and heavy rains. It was very difficult in those conditions. Due to this and other dangers, we had quite a few workers who got scared, walked out and quit,” he said.
“Eventually, we overcame all the tough challenges and were able to finish the project with a perfect record of ‘zero accidents’ across the 1,023 days of construction,” the official added.
With a total cost of NT$ 700 million (US$ 23.86 million), the concrete and steel structure links Wutai Township to Sandimen Township (三地門) of Pingtung County.
The two areas are inhabited mostly by Rukai and Paiwan Aborigines.
Wutai Township head Yen Chin-cheng (顏金成) said people are now no longer living on an isolated island.
“The new Guchuan Bridge is an important link for us to the outside world. It will benefit our local tourism and economic development,” Yen said.
He said that the bridge improves the lives of villagers, and also provides a safe access road for visitors heading into the mountains to enjoy the scenery, viewing of cherry blossoms in the spring, and making a trip to the area’s main tourist attraction, Shenshan Falls (神山瀑布).
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have
RSS