The rebuilt Nanfang’ao Bridge in Yilan County opened to traffic on Sunday, and President Tsai Ing-wen (???) said at a ceremony prior to the bridge’s launch that she hoped it would create opportunities for the revival of the fishing port town.
The bridge was rebuilt after it collapsed on Oct. 1, 2019, killing six migrant workers from the Philippines and Indonesia who were on fishing boats that the falling structure crushed.
Nine other Philippine and Indonesian migrant workers, one oil tank driver who was driving on the bridge when it collapsed, and three rescue personnel were injured in the incident.
Noting that the bridge’s collapse caused significant casualties and had a major impact on the local economy, tourism, and traffic, Tsai thanked Premier Su Tseng-chang’s (???) Cabinet for its contributions to rebuilding efforts.
Tsai said there were numerous challenges in rebuilding the bridge, including dismantling the old bridge, designing the new one, and overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the progress in construction.
The bridge’s opening also had to be pushed back by three months from Sept. 18 to Dec. 18 because of a problem with the pouring of concrete on May 27, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (???) said on July 11.
Now that the bridge has opened to traffic, Tsai said it would help boost the local economy and tourism activity while also improving the port’s traffic.
She also said its unique mackerel shape will make it an important landmark in the community that lets fishermen know they have arrived home when they return to Nanfang’ao.
At the same ceremony, Su said the government has undertaken safety checks of 26,000 bridges around Taiwan, with 101 determined to be in need of repair or reinforcement.
So far, 100 of the bridges have been repaired or reinforced, with the work on the other one slated to be completed in April 2023.
Construction of the NT$860 million, 796.53-meter-long Nanfang’ao Bridge started on July 16, 2020.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel