‘ABSOLUTE MESS’:While stopping construction of the Taipei Dome is dangerous, allowing it to continue is even riskier, Deputy Mayor Teng said
Taipei Times
Date: May 22, 2015
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter
Halting the Taipei Dome’s construction is the “lesser of two evils,” Taipei Deputy
The partially completed Taipei Dome is pictured on Wednesday. Farglory Land Development Co yesterday issued a statement saying it will suspend construction on the Taipei Dome project in compliance with the Taipei City Government’s order. Photo: Yu Pei-chih, Taipei Times
Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) said yesterday in a press conference outlining the city’s safety concerns that led to the decision to order the Dome’s contractor, Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設), to suspend construction.
“The Taipei Dome is an absolute mess,” Teng said. “Even though halting construction is dangerous, allowing it to drag on is even more dangerous. The purpose of today’s action is to force Farglory to present plans to ameliorate the situation.”
Teng specifically cited cracks that have appeared at the neighboring historic Songshan Tobacco Factory, as well as ground movement next to the Taipei MRT’s Bannan Line (板南), which runs next to the Dome site.
The city issued the order to halt the construction on Wednesday night. Earlier that day, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said Farglory had repeatedly failed to provide a clear explanation of how it would address risks posed by construction to the MRT line and the old tobacco plant. [FULL STORY]
