《TAIPEI TIMES》 Deadline set for new Nanfangao Bridge

UPGRADE: Tsai Ing-wen, who attended the groundbreaking for the new bridge, said that the government would strive to turn Nanfangao into an important fish market

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, in Yilan County

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The new Nanfangao Bridge （南方澳大橋） in Yilan County is expected to be completed by October 2022, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

The old bridge, which connected the Port of Suao and Nanfangao Fishing Port, collapsed on Oct. 1 last year, killing six people and injuring 12.

A Taiwan Transportation Safety Board investigation found that no inspections had been conducted on the old bridge since April 28, 2016.

The negligence was mainly caused by the failure of Taiwan International Ports Corp （TIPC） — which manages all of the nation’s commercial seaports — and the Yilan County Government to ascertain whose responsibility it was to maintain the bridge, the investigation found.

Yesterday morning, the ministry held a groundbreaking ceremony in the Port of Suao to begin construction of a new bridge, which was attended by President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文）, Premier Su Tseng-chang （蘇貞昌）, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung （林佳龍） and Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao （林姿妙）.

The Maritime and Port Bureau is the owner of the bridge and would fund its construction, while the Directorate-General of Highways （DGH） is in charge of building it, Lin Chia-lung said, adding that once the bridge is completed, TIPC would be in charge of managing and maintaining it.

“Some have said the new Nanfangao Bridge should not be considered part of the Port of Suao, and we are still deliberating that view. The current regulations state clearly that TIPC would be responsible for maintaining the new bridge,” he said.

As the bridge can be accessed by fishers and tourists, Lin Chia-lung said that the ministry would take the opinions of locals into account to make sure the new bridge can safely serve them.

The new bridge is 796.53m long, with an estimated construction cost of NT$848.5 million （US$29.2 million）, the DGH said.

The design of the new bridge features imagery of Atlantic mackerel and sea waves, it said.

In her address at the ceremony, Tsai said that planning the bridge was not an easy task.

“What we are rebuilding is not just a bridge, but rather a spiritual landmark for the people in Nanfangao. We are also trying to make Nanfangao a popular spot to visit again,” she said.

Tsai also laid out three goals that she hopes to accomplish after the bridge is rebuilt.

First, the new bridge should be built by no later than October 2022 so that local residents can have a solid and reliable bridge to commute to work, she said.

Second, as Nanfangao is home to the Atlantic mackerel and the fishing port is about to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its opening, the ministry, Fisheries Agency and Yilan County Government should strive to turn Nanfangao into an important fish market and a popular travel destination, Tsai said.

Third, the safety management of the 20,000 bridges around the country must be improved, particularly for the 108 bridges that need to be revamped and reinforced immediately, she said, adding that aside from helping local governments inspect the bridges under their care, the costs of revamping and inspecting the bridges would be fully funded by the central government.

“The new [Nanfangao Bridge] will feature the best design and the most solid materials. It will be completed quickly and be better than the old bridge,” Su said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES