News

    The rehabilitation of the damaged road section at point 7K+020 of Nantou Provincial Highway No. 85 has been completed. County mayor Lin Ming-Chen conducted on-site inspections accompanied by Nantou Council Member Liao, Wen-Hsien, Ren’ai Township Mayor Chiang, Tzu-Hsin, and other local dignitaries to gain a better understanding of the rock-shed tunnel construction project. After the inspections, County mayor Lin expressed his satisfaction with the overall quality of the project and ordered the Public Works Department of Nantou County Government to discuss how to strengthen the retaining walls to increase the safety of the rock-shed tunnel. The members of the four tribal communities have expressed their gratitude to the county government for its assistance in the creation of safe road connections.

    County mayor Lin pointed out that the Toda rock-shed tunnel had already been opened for traffic and that he proceeded to the construction site for inspections accompanied by the county council members and local dignitaries. He stated that the overall structure and quality of the project is rather good and that it has been completed ahead of schedule. The project provides the Toda, Piyuma, Truwan, Busi, and Sadu tribes with more convenient and safer road connections.

    Typhoon Soudelor brought torrential rains that led to the collapse of a large section of Nantou Provincial Highway No. 85 at point 7K+020. The cut-off road was reopened in an emergency fashion, but the collapsed section is still prone to mudslides. After conducting numerous joint on-site inspections, County mayor Lin determined that this section consists of fractured rock and that long-term human development has led to hydrologic alteration. The top of the slope has been fissured for a long time and the added impact of extreme climate change and frequent torrential rains has caused increasingly fragile geological conditions. This increases the danger of collapse of the side slopes with devastating consequences. It has been determined upon assessment that the construction of a rock-shed tunnel provides greater safety for local citizens.

    The county government proposed a plan for a repair project based on this information and national legislators from this county applied for funding by the central government. The project was approved upon review by the Public Construction Commission and the Directorate General of Highways of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications agreed to subsidize the construction of the 100-meter-long rock-shed tunnel with a total budget of 42.90 million NTD. During the construction period, inconveniences caused to villagers were minimized. Construction operations commenced in May 2016 and the project was completed after 6 months. The tunnel will be opened for traffic earlier than planned to enable the members of the tribal communities to go back to their ordinary lives and facilitate the transportation of agricultural produce. The county government will select a date for the inaugural ceremony.

    Toda village head Hung, Kuang-Yung stated that Nantou Provincial Highway No.85 provides a key road connection for the Toda, Piyuma, Truwan, Busi, and Sadu tribes. This road has collapsed and been cut off numerous times over many years. After numerous joint inspections carried out personally by County mayor Lin, fund applications were submitted for the construction of a sturdy and bright rock-shed tunnel to provide local residents with a safe road connection. Finally, they will no longer be exposed to the threat of road closure. Local citizens are very pleased and grateful to the county government for its efforts.