Taiwan Today

Engineering prowess is exemplified in Taiwan’s spectacular road network, balancing environmental and aesthetic concerns.

Two infrastructure projects undertaken by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications Highway Bureau (HB), namely the southern Pingtung-Eluanbi Highway and the central Alishan Highway, received honorable mentions at the 2024 International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Africa, Asia Pacific and Middle East Awards in Singapore. “Improving logistics is no longer the sole consideration for road design. We have broadened concerns to also take into account the impact on the local environment and landscape,” said Yeh Shuang-fu (葉双福), director of the bureau’s Engineering Division.

According to Yeh, Taiwan started submitting more entries to international road design competitions after the HB Suhua Highway Improvement Project won recognition from the International Road Federation (IRF) in 2020. Constructed in 1932, the spectacular Old Suhua Highway was a vital link for vehicles on the east coast between Yilan and Hualien counties. In the early 2010s the construction of a shorter and comparatively straighter version of the highway commenced. The design, which significantly enhanced safety and landslide protections while minimizing environmental impact along the route, resulted in reduced travel time between the two counties and stimulated the local economies. The complex technical construction garnered the project an IRF Global Road Achievement Award. Director Lin Wen-hsiung (林文雄) of the HB Eastern Region Branch Office added that the route’s artificial intelligence-assisted traffic management also received recognition at industry conferences at home and abroad, in part for the improved traffic flow and reduced carbon emissions demonstrated in annual branch office emission calculations.

Yeh noted that competition at international events is a soft power strategy to convey the level and scope of local expertise. Design and build capability for high-value infrastructure projects in an environment featuring complex terrain prone to seismic and extreme weather events is an enviable asset when showcased on platforms with worldwide reach. “Taiwan uses these advanced projects to show its commitment to sustainable development and the natural environment, taking dialogue on economic development to a more complex and rewarding level that is especially pertinent to global concerns.”

The Pingtung-Eluanbi Highway project is a case in point. It was recognized by IFLA for a project to remove utility poles and run cables underground, as well as for tree-planting campaigns along the 141-kilometer road in Taiwan’s southernmost county. The subterranean cabling obviates power cuts caused by extreme weather events such as typhoons, enhancing power supply resilience that is vital to continued economic function and thus improving equality of access to productive work for locals.

Winding Along
Alishan Highway, located in the southern county of Chiayi and ascending to nearly 2,200 meters above sea level near Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, won an IFLA award for various measures taken along its 61 km length to address structural and ecological issues, with a 7-km section of the route entered as representative of the project. “Maintaining the ecosystem is one of the most important objectives,” said Kuo Ching-shui (郭清水), director of the HB Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan Region Branch Office. The bureau worked closely with National Chiayi University (NCYU) Biological Resources Department, which conducted comprehensive surveys of flora and fauna before developing continuous wildlife green belt habitats by planting native species and sourcing landscaping materials like rocks and wood locally. “Now when you pull over to the side of the road and turn your lights off, you’ll see fireflies dancing around you,” Kuo said, describing one of the most noticeable signs of ecological recovery.

Liu Yea-chen (劉以誠), a botanist on the NCYU team involved in the Alishan Highway project said, “Civil engineers and ecologists used to work in parallel: Engineers didn’t know what ecologists prioritized, and ecologists thought engineers harmed the environment. For this project, the two joined forces and worked in tandem to realize optimum shared outcomes.” He added that the team regularly monitors flora and fauna along the road for new indications of climate change. “Ecological research is no longer treated as purely academic,” he said.

Pacific Heights
As new roadways are built, older ones are improved and reimagined. A 17-km section of the Old Suhua Highway that starts in Yilan County’s Suao Township and meanders southward through the mountains on the Pacific coast has been developed by the HB Eastern Region Branch Office as a model for a planned scenic highway along Taiwan’s eastern shore. The project won a silver award in the 2024 Muse Design Awards’ landscape design master planning category.

“The views of the Pacific Ocean are stunning, and we chose the best vantage points as sites to take a break from driving. We’ve reinstated a natural environment for people to stretch their legs and take a walk,” Lin said. At these rest areas, asphalt and concrete were replaced with grassy areas, and footpaths were constructed with gravel and rocks displaced by work. On clear days one such spot provides a view all the way to Yonaguni, a Japanese islet 108 kilometers distant; another provides a picturesque perspective on the bustling Nanfangao Fishing Harbor. To raise awareness of the delights of the old highway, marathons have been organized along the award-winning section since 2020.

Integration of distinctive Indigenous decorative elements into shoulders and shelters have won international praise for the HB. Two structures of straw and cedar wood along Alishan Highway are modeled after the local Tsou people’s community halls and are part of the honorable mention for the highway at 2024 IFLA. Elsewhere, Provincial Highway No. 8 runs through many central Taiwan Atayal communities and was named the Chain of Atayal by the HB Central Region Branch Office. A 2.4-km section of this roadway incorporating a traditional Atayal granary was entered in the 2024 Muse Design Awards competition and won silver for the visual impact of the traditional structure as well as the ingenious transformation of irregular space into landscaped footpaths.

Onward and Upward 
There are other highway projects in the pipeline that will continue the thoughtful dialogue with landscape and environment. Yeh noted that the long-awaited Danjiang Bridge is scheduled to open in 2026 at the mouth of northern Taiwan’s Tamsui River in New Taipei City. As Tamsui District’s population density has expanded exponentially, projects such as a light rail and accelerated road widening have already been implemented to meet infrastructure needs. The new bridge will support both road and light rail and will connect Bali District, site of the busy port of Taipei, to Tamsui and the national highway system. The project was conceived and designed by prestigious U.K. architectural firm Zaha Hadid Architects and is set to become a significant urban landmark.

The bureau is also transforming parts of Provincial Highway No. 9 through the dramatic East Rift Valley in Hualien and Taitung counties. The project gives precedence to environmental preservation over construction, with more than 3,000 trees retained in situ throughout the project. Yeh is optimistic about the country’s future from an environmental and construction perspective. “Taiwan is seeing more outstanding, award-winning infrastructure projects that give our engineers exciting opportunities to interact and exchange concepts with peers worldwide,” he said.

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw