President cuts ribbon at Nanfang'ao Bridge opening in Yilan, Taiwan

總統在台灣宜蘭為南方澳大橋通車剪彩

New Nanfang'Ao Bridge, open to public from Sunday, replaces bridge that collapsed in 2019


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Sunday (Dec. 18), a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Yilan’s Su’ao Township to mark the opening of the Nanfang’ao Bridge, which collapsed in 2019.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) presided over the ceremony. Tsai said the newly designed bridge is not only a unique addition to the landscape, but is also a symbol of rejuvenation and rebirth, reported UDN.

The ceremony was held at 9 a.m., and the bridge opened for public access at 3 p.m. Construction on the bridge began July 16, 2020, close to 10 months after the former bridge collapsed in October 2019.

The new Nanfang’ao Bridge was scheduled to be completed in October, 2023, but was delayed due to a minor structural issue that had to be addressed. The mayor of Su’ao Township Lee Ming-che (李明哲) previously stated that the new bridge is designed to withstand erosion and earthquakes, and has an estimated structural life expectancy of 100 years.

The former Nanfang’ao Bridge collapsed suddenly on Oct. 1, 2019 and resulted in the deaths of six people. Engineers believe that several strong typhoons and years of air with high salinity led to the premature erosion of several steel suspension cables.

The new bridge is 796.5 meters long, and cost approximately NT$860 million (US$29 million) to build. The new bridge has eschewed suspension cables in favor of a box-girder design with three support columns.

There is also a wide pedestrian walkway and lights that will illuminate the structure at night. Construction of the bridge was contracted to the New Asia Construction and Development Corporation, and supervised by CECI Engineering Consultants, reported UDN.

In her remarks on Sunday morning, President Tsai said she hopes the new bridge will mark the beginning of a new prosperous era for residents and businesses in the community. She thanked the construction workers, as well as local and central government offices who worked together to make the project a success.