The opening of Taiwan’s long-delayed Hsuehshan road tunnel, which has taken more than 12 years to build, will open sometime after June a safety official said.
This follows an inspection of the tunnel by the government’s National Expressway Engineering Bureau in early January which found that the main electrical and mechanical installation works will not be completed until March at the earliest. Inspectors also found the installation fire services equipment will be completed in February and ventilation equipment in March.
The ministry had intended to open the Snow mountain tunnel around Chinese New Year at the end of January, although it had yet to confirm an official opening date. But following the checks, safety inspector Lee Ke-tsung said opening of the 13km tunnel, which is part of the 55km Peiyi expressway linking Taipei’s Nankang district with Toucheng in Ilan, should put back until at least June.
National Expressway Engineering Bureau director-general Chiou Lin-bin said Mr Lee’s professional judgement would be respected. Transportation and communications minister Lin Ling-san said the engineering bureau would need time to study and address the problems found during the first inspection.
Legislators also raised several safety issues including how emergency vehicles would enter the tunnel in case of fire, how people would cope with the steep incline of the exits and the long distance between each exit.
Construction of the tunnel, which has cost more than US$624M to build, has been delayed for years after tunnelling contractors encountered a raft of problems including cave-ins and flooding.
