Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 14 November, 2018
By: Shirley Lin

President Tsai presides over perforation of last tunnel on Suhua Highway

The improved Suhua Highway that connects Suao and Hualien in northeastern Taiwan is in its final stages of completion. The original highway had a section alongside steep cliffs above the Pacific Ocean. However, the highway was often closed due to heavy rain, typhoons or landslides. A project named the Suhua Highway Improvement Project was begun in 2011.

President Tsai Ing-wen attended a ceremony to witness the perforation of the eighth and last tunnel of the improved Suhua Highway on Tuesday. Also known as Provincial Highway 9, the highway is 38.8 km long, with a total of eight tunnels taking up two thirds of the road.

President Tsai said that it is like the highway is being reborn. She said the improvements are a prerequisite to regional development. She also said the project is a model construction for Taiwan’s highways since construction took place with environmental conservation in mind.

The last tunnel, the Renshui Tunnel, will become the only single tunnel with bidirectional traffic on the highway. It will also become the biggest tunnel in Taiwan. The improved highway will be open to traffic before 2020.      [FULL  STORY]