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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 DGH to replace flawed crab crossings
Land crabs crawl on a rope in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Peninsula in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Directorate-General of Highways’ Third Maintenance Office
By Cheng Wei-chi and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Directorate-General of Highways （DGH） is to spend NT$70 million （US$2.3 million） to improve land crab crossings under Provincial Highway No. 26 in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Peninsula （恆春半島）, after acknowledging that the passages it previously built were ineffective.
More than 1,000 land crabs are killed on the highway each year, as the crustaceans cross traffic to lay eggs in the sea during the breeding season from June to September, said Wang Ching-hsiung （王慶雄）, deputy chief of engineering at the directorate’s Third Maintenance Office.
Although the office created multiple culvert-type crossings to facilitate seasonal crab migration, reports showed that the design was flawed, he said on Saturday.
The original design has smooth interior surfaces that did not give crabs the traction necessary for movement, lacks ventilation that results in high temperatures and includes steep ramps at access points, he said.
Two passages with an improved design are to be constructed in a section of the highway running from Banana Bay （香蕉灣） through Shadao （砂島） to Lungpan Park （龍磐公園） on a trial basis, he said.
The new design features rough surfaces, air holes to vent heat and ramps with a 45° incline, he said.
The contract to build the crossings has already been awarded and the structures are expected to be completed before migration begins in June, Wang said.
A separate NT$2.5 million contract to gauge the effectiveness of the crossings has been posted and evaluation of the bids is to begin in a week, he said.
Based on the evaluation, more crossings using the new design would be built, he added.
The office is to allocate another NT$12 million to study the ecology of the crabs and the feasibility of altering the highway to better facilitate crossings with a minimal effect on traffic, Wang said.
Reducing the width of the highway from four lanes to two or replacing the road with an elevated highway are some of the options being considered, he said, adding that locals would be consulted for their opinions.
The studies are expected to be completed by 2026, he said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
