Anshuo to Caopu Section of the South Link Highway
Project Location
Pingtung and Taitung Counties,
Southern and Eastern Taiwan
Client
Directorate General of Highways (DGH)
Services Period
From September 2011
to June 2021
Type of Services
Engineering Design and Construction Supervision
Project Overview
Taiwan’s South Link Highway is part of Provincial Highway No. 9 and travels a length of 100KM through steep mountains, deep valleys, dense vegetation and rugged coastline. This newly upgraded expressway replaces a previous narrow, winding and often dangerous road as the primary route linking southern and eastern Taiwan.
The 11.1km long Anshou to Caopu Section in particular adopts a "Straighten and Safety" approach to eliminate 67 curves along the previous route and at the same time dramatically improves the service level with an advanced twin tube 4.7km long expressway tunnel and a magnificent 4.84km long viaduct "hidden in the forest".
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Besides improving transport, the project also aims to narrow the disparity between the more populated areas of the western plains and the sparsely populated east coast, particularly for the indigenous people. Tourist based industries can especially benefit from the new roadway as the public can now better enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains, hot springs, forests, rivers and ocean along the entire route area and more job opportunities can be created for local residents.
CECI was commissioned to carry out design and construction supervision services for the project in 2011 and undertook a design developing a green engineering framework while preserving the unique ecosystems and wildlife. Chief among these design solutions were:
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Setting up systems to monitor the water, air quality and wildlife;
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Employing long and medium span designs for bridges to reduce environmental impact;
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Reusing excavated earthwork as embankment backfill and for restoring coastline;
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Protecting the habitats of endangered species and wildlife.
Upon its culmination and opening to traffic in 2020, the South Link Highway has since been praised for its success and impact in helping balance the regional development of Taiwan, decrease carbon emissions in the surrounding area, and revitalizing tourist and recreational activities for communities located all along this new scenic road.