1st new Suhua Highway tunnel completed

2014-10-31

Construction of the first tunnel under the Suhua Highway Mountain Section Improvement Project was completed Oct. 29, signaling the dawn of a new era for transportation along the east coast of Taiwan.

Running for 212.5 meters, two-way two-lane Dongyue Tunnel was built by teams working from both ends of the structure in Yilan County. The undertaking commenced after a central guiding tunnel was finished in February.

According to the Directorate General of Highways under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the tunnel will ease traffic congestion and offer residents a safer road home. A total of eight tunnels, 13 bridges and new road embankments are included as part of the project running between Su-ao and Hualien.

The project became necessary after the 118-kilometer highway was severely damaged Oct. 21, 2010, by Typhoon Megi.

Work on the tunnel proved challenging due to the prevalence of mantle rock. Once hidden water pockets above the tunnel were released, they flushed large amounts of disintegrated and decomposed rock fragments and soil into the site. This required the application of more and more grouting, the DGH said.

Rockbreaker operator Lin Chung-hsien cited the moistness of the earth in and around the tunnel as another factor complicating construction. “Collapses occurred quite often. Sometimes, it was so bad we could only progress one meter per minute before being forced back three meters the next,” he said.

The DGH said the project is on schedule for completion in 2017.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223461&CtNode=413)