Linking up Taiwan's east coast tunnels on Suhua Highway Project

在蘇花改上連接台灣東岸隧道

After 1,048 days of construction, the Zhongren Tunnel has been successfully completed, connecting the tunnels to the country's northern highways


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After 1,048 days of construction, workers have finished connecting two tunnels as part of the Suhua Highway Improvement Project, signifying a large stride towards the 2020 completion goal.

Head of the Suhua Highway Improvement Project, Shao Hou-chieh (邵厚潔), said that in order to make the Zhongren tunnel (中仁隧道) a unidirectional tunnel with two openings, construction must go around a mountain.

The highest point of the tunnel is around 1,226 meters (4,022 feet), making the tunnel one of the most difficult construction projects ever undertaken in Taiwan, according to CNA.


(CNA image)

The various faults and rivulets which the tunnel passes through are cause for workers to worry about the tunnel draining correctly when it rains, since improper drainage may lead to a potential collapse.

Shao said that the construction site uses gneiss and marble as flexible yet highly permeable boundaries. Although no water has seeped through the construction surface yet, workers are taking every precaution against the strong wind and rains of flood and typhoon season.

In October 2017 during Typhoon Khanun, the tunnel received as much as 113.5 metric tons of water per minute, flooding the tunnel, according to CNA. Teams worked around the clock to fix the problem.


(CNA image)

The Zhongren tunnel now features three car lanes, 11 pedestrian crossings, six areas for emergency stops, operation rooms situated at both the north and south entrances, and six facilities to assist with maintenance of the tunnel's primary machine room.