Ravaged by typhoons, the rebuilt Jiaxian Bridge across the Qishan River in Taiwan’s southern Kaohsiung County opened to traffic June 26.
The main artery connecting the Jiaxian Township to Provincial Highways No. 20 and No. 21, the old concrete bridge was washed out when Typhoon Sinlaku stroke in 2008. A temporary bridge was immediately built but was wrecked in last year’s Typhoon Morakot, leaving local traffic in tatters.
President Ma Ying-jeou attended the bridge's ribbon-cutting ceremony held to coincide with the 10th Jiaxian Taro and Bamboo Shoot Festival June 26-27. Premier Wu Den-yih, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo and Kaohsiung County Magistrate Yang Chiu-hsing were also present at the event.
"I believe the new bridge will help boost the local tourism industry," Ma said.
The restored bridge is a three-arched steel structure 21 meters in width. It is painted light purple to highlight the local delicacy taro, and is equipped with LEDs, which will light up in 21 different patterns at night and on special occasions.
According to the MOTC, the new bridge cost NT$560 million (US$1.74 million)and was completed 108 days ahead of schedule. Building a new bridge saved an estimated NT$40 million as compared to repairing the temporary bridge, the MOTC said.
The president lauded the efforts of the MOTC in finishing the 304-meter-long bridge in just 14 months. He also had high praise for the bridge’s reinforced framework. “The bridge has only two piers, 152 meters apart. This will effectively lower the impact of water erosion on the bridge,” Ma said.
To prevent future calamities, Ma urged residents to be prepared for possible natural disasters. Directing relevant government agencies to stay alert and collaborate with the local government, the president said, “We have to ensure we prepare in advance, reserve the necessary military forces and activate immediate rescue operations when disasters strike.”
In related news, the president attended a ceremony in nearby Namaxia Township to launch Taiwan’s first disaster support communications system. With help from the domestic communications industry, the facility added microwave and satellite systems to existing optical fiber feeders, as well as a power backup system to prevent outages in local mobile communications.
Government officials said the system would help ensure communications links between the mountainous region and the outside world are functioning when typhoons or other disasters strike. Five other similar facilities are being set up in Kaohsiung County, with three expected to go into operation by the end of October. (THN)
Write to Audrey Wang at audrey@mail.gio.gov.tw