Work on Daqingshui Tunnel Continues Around the Clock 交長視察蘇花大清水隧道 與花蓮港船運

Transportation and Communications Minister Wang Kwo-tsai visited Hualien's Daqingshui Tunnel to oversee its repair work. Meanwhile, ferry services have also been arranged before the traffic on land can resume as normal.

Construction workers are working around the clock to clear boulders and debris from Dachingshui Tunnel to make sure the tunnel can reopen to traffic by 5 p.m. on the 15th. Transportation and Communications Minister Wang Kwo-tsai visited the tunnel on the 13th to inspect progress and give Hualien and Taitung residents a progress report.

Wang Kwo-tsai, Minister, Ministry of Transportation and Communications: “The section between Heren and Chongde has long been a cause for concern. When we were doing safety assessments for the Suhua Highway, we felt the slopes on both sides weren't very stable. So, they proposed many solutions for discussion. The direction we are going in is a 9.7-kilometer tunnel.”

With the tunnel out of commission, the ministry has arranged for passenger ferries and one military vessel to take people and vehicles to the Port of Suao. People began queuing up the night before. Officials allowed passengers to start boarding at 9 a.m. and the ferry left the port at 12 p.m. The trip takes around three hours.

Mr. Wu, Boat Passenger: “I guess it's a decent backup plan. Otherwise, there's only the Cross-island Highway and Nanhui Road.”

Boat Passenger: “I drove here last night to make a delivery. I got on the boat this morning. (Is this the first time this has happened to you?) Yes. (How do you feel?) It's a special situation.”

According to the Port of Hualien, the Hefu Ferry departed with 306 passengers and 32 vehicles on board. The Taipei Express Ferry departed with no passengers and 130 vehicles, while Kaixuan No. 8 departed with 26 passengers and no vehicles. The military vessel dispatched to the port has not yet arrived. There will be a free shuttle service until the tunnel reopens on the 15th.

Wang Kwo-tsai, Minister, Ministry of Transportation and Communications: “The Suhua Highway is basically Taitung and Hualien's one and only access road, so in our so-called response plan in the past we held similar drills. Because this incident occurred without warning, we very quickly decided to allow these boats to stay where they are.”

Taiwan Railways, meanwhile, added a 2 p.m. cargo train to its schedule to transport produce. Travel agents say if the tunnel can't reopen by the 15th, it will have a disastrous effect on holiday travel.

 

為了要趕在15日17時通車，工程人員24小時不眠不休，在大清水隧道坍塌處南北兩端，不斷的用重機械清除巨石。交通部長王國材特別前往視察，並對花東民眾最關心的蘇花安進度提出說明。

交通部長王國材指出：「從和仁到崇德這一段，過去在做蘇花安的時候，也發覺這一段的邊坡是比較不穩定。所以他們提出很多的方案做討論，那初步是一個9.7公里的長隧道。」

除了道路搶通，交通部也特別安排包括合富輪、台北快輪、凱旋8號還有1艘中字號軍艦，搭載車輛與人員前往蘇澳港。不少民眾從昨天晚間開始就來排隊。上午9時開始登船，預計12時離港，航程約3小時。

搭船民眾吳先生認為：「算是一個還不錯的替代方案，不然現在只剩下中橫跟南迴可以走。」

搭船民眾表示：「晚上過來這邊下貨，早上下完直接來坐船。」他說，自己是第1次這樣搭乘，覺得很特別。

根據花蓮港公司資料，合富輪今天共載32車、306人，台北快輪130車、無載人，凱旋8號26人無載車。軍方中明鑑目前還未進港，到15日恢復通車前，每天都會安排免費接駁。

交通部長王國材說：「蘇花公路它是等於花東唯一的一條聯外道路，所以我們在過去所謂的應變計畫裡面，也有類似的演練。那這次因為發生得非常的突然，那我們也很快的讓這些船就定位。」

至於台鐵的部分，下午2時開始加掛板車專門運輸蔬果，避免農產品品質受損。旅遊業者則是強調，如果15日下午蘇花公路未搶通，預計會對春節假期造成嚴重影響。