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Taiwan 2001 |
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Transportation |
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Highways and FreewaysIn 1999, there were 16.3 million motor vehicles in Taiwan. The number of highway passengers for the year was 1.05 billion, down 0.9 percent from 1998. Cargo transported via Taiwan's highways and freeways also decreased by 2.8 percent, to 350 million tons for 1999. The Second Northern Freeway 北部第二高速公路 was opened to traffic in 1996. With a length of 99 kilometers, the main route stretches from the northern edge of Taipei to Hsinchu. In addition, it includes a 6-kilometer-long Taipei connecting route and a 12-kilometer-long inner beltway to the CKS International Airport. Construction of the Extension to the Second Freeway was begun in 1993 and connects Keelung in the north with Pingtung in the south. The main route is 333 kilometers long, and it has four branches totaling 68 kilometers in length. Sun Yat-sen FreewayInaugurated in 1978, the Sun Yat-sen Freeway 中山高速公路 (also called the North-South Freeway) was the ROC's first national freeway. The 373-kilometer-long route connects Kaohsiung in the south with both Taipei and Keelung in the north. The freeway is still the island's primary north-south thoroughfare, and the rapid rate at which the traffic load has grown since its opening has resulted in significant wear and tear. Thus, a number of recent transportation projects and plans focus on ensuring that the Sun Yat-sen Freeway remains a safe and efficient traffic corridor. To relieve congestion along the section of the freeway running through Taipei, two 21-kilometer-long elevated viaducts have been constructed that run parallel with the Sun Yat-sen Freeway from the Hsichih 汐止 interchange in the north to the Wuku 五股 interchange in the south. Several sections of the freeway running through northern and central Taiwan are becoming heavily congested. A 27.6-kilometer-long section of the four-lane freeway running from Yangmei 楊梅 to Hsinchu 新竹 is one such stretch. To alleviate this situation, an additional lane is being added to each side, and interchanges, toll stations, and service areas are being improved. Bidding for this project was held in March 1996, and the project is scheduled to be completed in January 2003 at a cost of US$175 million. Another heavily used section of the freeway, the 112-kilometer stretch from Hsinchu to Yuanlin 員林, is also having an extra lane added to each side. This US$790 million project, which began in November 1994, is scheduled to be completed in December 2002. The Sun Yat-sen Freeway is also becoming saturated in southern Taiwan, and preliminary plans were drawn up to widen the section between Yuanlin and Kaohsiung at the end of 1997. The US$1.39 billion project will begin at the Yuanlin interchange and run 158 kilometers to the Wuchia interchange 五甲交流道 in Kaohsiung. One lane will also be added to each side of the freeway, and two lanes are under consideration for a 4.3-kilometer stretch running through the Kaohsiung metropolitan area. For some sections, bidding and construction started as early as the beginning of 1997. The project will be completed in 2007. The volume of traffic on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway has grown by an average of 11 percent annually since its opening. This heavy traffic load, coupled with a hot tropical climate, abundant rainfall, and overloaded trucks and trailers, has caused considerable damage to the freeway's surface. To maintain road quality, many five-year road surface repair projects have been completed since 1982. In addition to expansion and maintenance projects, some major repair work is also being undertaken. The portion of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway crossing central Taiwan's Choshui River 濁水溪 at the Sino-Saudi Arabian Bridge 中沙大橋 is one such area. The riverbed has deepened over the years because of excessive gravel removal and flooding during typhoons, and thus work is being done to protect the pier and stabilize the riverbed.
New FreewaysWith the rapid growth of traffic on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, the Taiwan Expressway Network project was proposed in 1990 to alleviate some of the traffic load. This project included construction of the Second Freeway, the Taipei-Ilan Freeway, the Eastern Expressway, the Southern Cross-island Expressway, and the Central Cross-island Expressway. The Second Freeway is generally divided into the Second Northern Freeway and its extension. The northern section, completed in August 1997, is 117 kilometers in length and includes a beltway linking the CKS International Airport with both the Sun Yat-sen Freeway in eastern Taipei and Hsinchu 新竹. The 388-kilometer extension, which has been under construction since 1993, will connect the Sun Yat-sen Freeway between central and southern Taiwan by branches. The 45-kilometer southern section between Tainan and Kaohsiung Counties was opened to traffic in early 2000. The Second Freeway is scheduled to be completed by 2003. The Taipei-Ilan Freeway 北宜高速公路, which has been under construction since July 1992, will connect the Second Freeway in eastern Taipei with northern Ilan County. Most of the 31-kilometer freeway including 11 tunnelsthe longest of which is 12.9 kilometers longand 27 bridges have already been completed. Additional plans, however, call for extending the freeway another 24 kilometers past the Ilan Plain to Suao 蘇澳. The entire project is scheduled for completion by 2003. Once finished, the current three-hour drive from Taipei to Ilan will be shortened to a mere 40 minutes. The remaining portions of the Expressway Network Project, including the Eastern Expressway from Suao via Hualien 花蓮 to Taitung 臺東 (240 kilometers), the Southern Cross-island Expressway from Taitung to Pingtung 屏東 (76 kilometers), and the Central Cross-island Expressway from Taichung 臺中 to Hualien (127 kilometers), are all in the design or planning stages.
Freeway Traffic ControlDuring holidays, traffic volume is generally 30 to 50 percent above normal. Accordingly, the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau (TANFB) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications 交通部臺灣區國道高速公路局 has adopted a ramp metering control system 匝道儀控管制系統 to maintain an acceptable flow of traffic. This system was introduced on four national holidays in 1993, and after proving to be fairly effective, was gradually extended to include long holidays, weekends, and normal weekdays. The TANFB has implemented a fully automated ramp metering control system over the entire Sun Yat-sen Freeway at a cost of US$14.1 million. To increase the effectiveness of the ramp metering control system and smooth the flow of traffic on the freeway during long holidays, High Occupancy Vehicle Control 高乘載車輛專用通行時段管制 has been in force since the 1995 Chinese New Year holiday. This system involves allocating different time slots during which vehicles, depending on their number of passengers, can enter the freeways. High occupancy vehicles, such as buses and cars carrying at least four people, are given priority. As a result, congestion on the freeways during holidays has been significantly reduced.
TollsThere are ten toll stations along the Sun Yat-sen Freeway and two on the Northern Second Freeway. Standard tolls are NT$40 (US$1.18) for cars, NT$50 (US$1.47) for buses and small trucks, and NT$65 (US$1.91) for trailer trucks. To help vehicles pass through quickly, there are "No Change" toll lanes at every toll station. Drivers are also encouraged to use coupons, which can be conveniently purchased at post offices, gas and toll stations, rest areas, the Land Bank of Taiwan 臺灣土地銀行, and the Medium Business Bank of Taiwan 臺灣中小企業銀行.
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