Second Landslide Occurs Along Freeway Section 國1汐止段昨二度坍方封閉 基隆段紫爆

Another landslide occurred along the southbound Xizhi section of National Freeway 1 on Nov. 2. The Wudu entrance and the 7K to 10K section of southbound lanes between Wudu and Xizhi were closed, causing serious congestion this morning.

Another landslide occurred along a southbound Xizhi section of National Freeway No. 1 that was the site of a landslide the previous day. The Freeway Bureau closed all southbound lanes around Wudu, affecting commuters on Nov. 3. A long line of vehicles formed at the Wudu entrance ramp, while a purple alert meaning the speed was under 10 kilometers per hour was issued for the southbound section of National Freeway No. 1's Badu-Dahua System. Some people were stuck in traffic for over two hours between Keelung and Taipei.

Lin Ping-sung, Director, N. Region Branch Office, Freeway Bureau: “We thought the slope had stabilized, so we didn't install any monitoring systems. However, an earthquake caused some cracks to appear and it also rained heavily for several straight days so its water content increased and it became unstable and collapsed like this.”

Wang Kwo-tsai, Transportation and Communications Minister: “We hope to reopen the inside lane to traffic by 6 a.m. tomorrow and use the outer lane as the base for the repair work and to serve as a buffer as we have worries that there will be a third landslide.”

The government said the landslides were caused by a recent earthquake and several straight days of rain. The Freeway Bureau will have to assess the situation before announcing a date for the full reopening of the road, and it said it will try to achieve that as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the congestion along Xinwutai Road in New Taipei City's Xizhi District reached all the way to Keelung's Baifu community, much to the dismay of commuters. Taiwan Railway added two train services for the Keelung-Shulin route for commuters.

Resident: “I worry about delays, I always plan everything carefully to arrive on time and I'll arrive late if there's a delay.”

Resident: “I think the impact on everyone will be less if they enact some emergency measures.”

The Freeway Bureau has sent additional personnel and machinery to the landslide site to complete the repairs as soon as possible. Meanwhile, National Freeway No. 3 has become congested due to the closure, and those traveling between Keelung and the greater Taipei area will have to leave home earlier to avoid congestion.

國道1號南下汐止路段邊坡又崩塌，高公局封閉五堵南下全線，直接衝擊上班上課尖峰時間。國道1號五堵匝道口湧現大批車流。尤其是八堵南下大華系統，更一度出現紫爆，時速低於10公里，讓通勤族罵翻，基隆到台北狂塞兩個多小時。

高公局北區養護工程分局分局長林炳松說明：「我們認為邊坡是穩定的，所以沒有裝監測系統。但是因為地震的關係有一些裂縫產生，又連日大雨，所以說含水量增加變成不穩定的狀態，才這樣滑落下來。」

交通部長王國材表示：「希望明天早上6點，大家所占的內線車道先行通車，然後外側的車道當作施工便道，以及跟邊坡的緩衝區。我們還是擔心，會不會有第3次崩塌情形。」

透露是因為近期地震，加上連日下雨，才使國道邊坡土壤變得不穩定。有關搶通日期，高公局勘災後才能預估，但強調一定會盡快搶通。另外，在新北汐止新台五路，也一路塞到基隆百福社區，讓通勤上班族相當崩潰。為了緩解上班人潮和車潮，台鐵緊急加開兩列基隆到樹林間上行和下行的900型區間車，讓民眾可以搭台鐵通勤。

民眾說：「擔心誤點，就是抓剛好上班的時間，誤點就會影響到。」

也有民眾認為：「它有一些應急變化的話，我想應該不至於會造成大家太多影響。」

目前高公局加派人手和機具進駐，要盡快搶通崩塌路段。只是國1南下汐止路段封閉，車流全擠往國3，在還沒搶通前，往返基隆和雙北的通勤族得更早出門，才不會塞在國道上。