The Dachinshui Tunnel is a highway tunnel in Hualien County, Taiwan, located on the Su-Hua Highway of Provincial Highway 9, with its north entrance connecting to the Xiaqingshui Bridge and its south entrance connecting to the 13th Tunnel (North of the Jinwen Tunnel) in the form of an open-cut tunnel.[1]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hualien County |
| Status | Enabled |
| Crosses | Central Mountain Range |
| Operation | |
| Opened | November 2, 1990 |
| Owner | Ministry of Transportation and Communications |
| Operator | Ministry of Transportation and Communications |
| Traffic | Car, Motorcycle, Bicycle, Pedestrian |
| Technical | |
| Operating speed | 40km/h (speed limit) |
History
editThe tunnel was constructed on April 12, 1988 (77th year of the Republic of China) and completed on November 2, 1990 (79th year of the Republic of China). It has a length of 521 meters.[2] After its completion, vehicles no longer need to traverse the outer section of the Qingshui Cliffs.[3]
On the night of January 11, 2023, at 11:55 P.M., due to previous seismic loosening and rainfall, the upper slope of the tunnel at the south entrance of the Dachinshui Tunnel at kilometer 159+300 of Provincial Highway 9 collapsed. Fractured rock blocks fell from a height of over 30 meters, with an impact momentum exceeding the tolerance of the tunnel, crushing a 17-meter-long concrete tunnel and an 8-meter-long steel-structured tunnel, causing a total damage length of about 25 meters and an estimated collapse volume of about 1200 cubic meters, resulting in the destruction of the tunnel and road obstruction, rendering it impassable in both directions.[4] In the subsequent long-term plan, this section has been included in the Suhua Safety Plan. A tunnel of approximately 10 kilometers is planned to be expedited, and the comprehensive planning has been completed and submitted for departmental review, with an environmental impact assessment scheduled to be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency by the end of the year.[5]
On April 3, 2024, during the Hualien earthquake, the Xiaqingshui Bridge at the north entrance of the tunnel was damaged by falling rocks, resulting in the complete closure of the Su-Hua Highway.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ "台9線蘇花公路172.7k(大清水)明隧道施工路段農曆春節前恢復雙向通車 交通部公路總局第四區養護工程處". Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
- ^ Li Rui-Zong (2003). Suhua Road Past and Present. Hualien: Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior, Taroko National Park Management Office. p. 43. ISBN 9570141069.
- ^ "20190804台9線(蘇花公路，大清水～新城，附路線圖)﹝花蓮秀林、新城﹞ 萌芽悠遊網". Archived from the original on 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
- ^ "Suhua Road Section of Provincial Highway 9 Dachinshui Road Ming Tunnel Slope Collapse Both Directions Blocked". Archived from the original on 2023-01-14. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ Wang Yanhua (2023-01-12). "The Suhua Highway Dachinshui Tunnel collapses with over a thousand cubic meters of rock and soil. Aerial footage reveals the scene". United Daily News. Archived from the original on 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ Calaw Opic; Pahaw (Xie Junjie); Iwan (Lin Jiahui) (2024-04-03). "16 road closures in the Suhua Road Corridor, Provincial Highway 9 Xiaqingshui Bridge collapses". Original Vision News Network. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
- ^ Wang Zhaolin (2024-04-08). "The truth behind the collapse of Xiaqingshui Bridge! 90-ton boulder impact destroys more than 4 times the design load". ETtoday News Cloud. Archived from the original on 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2024-04-08.