918 Strong Earthquake" Hualien Yuchang and Changfu Bridges are closed to Zhuofu, only vehicles under 15 tons are allowed

Hualien was affected by the 918 earthquake, and many bridges were damaged, including Yuli Town Yuchang Bridge and Fuli Township Changfu Bridge whose pier and column structures were damaged, and vehicles were banned from today.

(Provided by Hualien County Government)

[Reporter Wang Junqi / Hualien Report] Hualien was affected by the 918 earthquake, and many bridges were damaged. Among them, Yuli Town Yuchang Bridge and Fuli Township Changfu Bridge had damaged pier and column structures. Vehicles were banned from today. Due to the overturning of part of the retaining wall of the approach road and the impact of the bearing capacity of the roadbed, large vehicles over 15 tons are prohibited.

The 810-meter-long Yuchang Bridge spans Lele Creek and has a total of 26 piers. Affected by the earthquake, most of the piers were severely damaged. Although the bridge did not collapse, the piers were obviously unable to exert their due bearing capacity. Traffic and maintenance facilities are set up on both sides of the bridge, and vehicles are prohibited from passing through.

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Xu Zhenwei, the mayor of Hualien County, said that the Yuchang Bridge was severely damaged due to the earthquake, and he instructed the Construction Office to assist the office in estimating the cost, and would report it to the Public Works Committee of the Executive Yuan to obtain funding for post-disaster reconstruction projects and carry out bridge reconstruction.

In addition, the Changfu Bridge, an important bridge connecting Taiwan Line 9 and Xiangdaohua Line 75, has a raised lane and some expansion joints are cracked by more than 30 cm, resulting in a height difference, making it impossible for vehicles to pass. Fuli Township Office closed the road and closed it Bridge operations are prohibited, vehicles are prohibited, and disaster recovery plans are also reported.

On the approach road on the north side of the Zhuofu Bridge, some retaining walls are overturned, the guardrail is damaged and the roadbed is sunk, leaving only one lane width for vehicles to pass. To avoid damage to only the lane due to the passage of heavy vehicles, slope protection and earth retaining structures will be implemented in the follow-up, and heavy vehicles will be allowed to pass after the slope is stabilized.