Chen Zhongjun (second from right), Taitung Earthquake Disaster Rescue Commander of Taiwan Railways, did not take a vacation for 2 months as a rookie repairer of Guluanxi Bridge.

(Provided by Taiwan Railway Bureau)

[Reporter Zheng Weiqi/Taipei Report] The magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred on September 18 last year in Taitung. However, traffic still needs to be slowed down and monitored for 2 months; it is currently expected to resume traffic at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour after 228 consecutive holidays.

During this rush repair process, Chen Zhongjun, deputy chief engineering officer of the Taiwan Railway Bureau, did not take a vacation for more than two months, and only went back and forth between his residence and the construction site every day. He was undoubtedly one of the biggest contributors.

Xinxiu Guluanxi Bridge was affected by the earthquake, and each girder was displaced, and the left and right were different, with the maximum displacement exceeding 1 meter.

Each span of the bridge has 4 to 7 beams, with a total weight of 800 tons to 1600 tons, and some bridge spans are located in the river channel, so it is quite difficult to repair.

The Taiwan Railway Bureau specially dispatched Chen Zhongjun, the deputy chief engineering officer who has experienced many battles, as the commander of emergency repairs. He started from the grassroots level of public works and has more than 30 years of experience in public works engineering. The tunnel was washed away by 6 cm; the Taozhi typhoon washed away the 10-meter track bridge; the Ruifang-Houtong slope collapsed and many other difficult repair work.

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Chen Zhongjun said that this emergency repair was faced with serious displacement of the Xinxiu Guluan River Bridge, which was a difficult situation he had never encountered before. The heaviest bridge had a span of 1,600 tons. Just for jacking up, it was necessary to tidy up the sidewalk and build a foundation before erecting the jack , The preparation time will take several days. On the way, we encountered disasters such as typhoon Nisha and heavy rains such as Huadonghao. The erected structures were washed away, and the earthwork was rearranged, the river channel was changed, and the foundation was laid before it could be repaired again.

Chen Zhongjun said that he was deeply impressed by the situation when he had to reset the girder laterally after the first jacking up, because the bridge was not set up when the bridge was built. The concrete base of the jack cracked directly, and the jack sprayed and fell to the ground. The scene was like a big rock falling and pressing the emergency repair personnel!

He said that after continuous discussions with consulting companies and construction manufacturers, after finding out the jacking bridge, placing stainless steel sliding shoes underneath, adding a section steel, and using the beam's own weight to support the lateral pushing reaction force, the beam was finally successfully pushed. In October When the girder of the first span was successfully reset on the 19th, there were endless cheers at the scene. Everyone's heart was successfully put down, and they were confident that the repair work could be completed early.

Although there are successful experiences, there are still several dangerous situations in the rush repair process. Chen Zhongjun said that once when the bridge was jacked up, it happened to be hit by an earthquake again. It was like being hit by an external force again, and everyone's hearts were suspended in the air. Fortunately, the earthquake was not big. After the shaking ended, everything was normal after inspection.

In addition to the physical fatigue, many employees were quite dissatisfied with the uninterrupted rush repairs day and night. Chen Zhongjun said that during the rush repair process, many employees scolded him on the Internet, and criticized the vice president for just saying a word, which would exhaust the grassroots. The inspection unit issued a fine; after two consecutive months of rush repairs, he was ordered by the director of the Taiwan Railways to take a vacation in the middle.

But every time he passes through Yuli, he sees passengers carrying large and small bags to transfer passengers, and he has a sour feeling in his heart. He feels that the sooner the repairs are completed, and the provision of passenger safety and convenient rail transportation services is the responsibility of the Taiwan Railways. responsibility.

It has been 1.5 months since the Xinxiu Guluanxi Bridge was completed. Chen Zhongjun said that after the repair of the bridge, there will be equipment installed, and the displacement and subsidence of the bridge will be monitored for two months. So far, everything is good. After the monitoring period expires, review, After confirming that there is no problem with safety, it is estimated that after the 228 consecutive holidays, the Xinxiu Guluanxi Bridge will be able to allow vehicles to pass at a maximum speed of 130 kilometers per hour.

In addition, in order to improve the seismic capacity of the bridge, Taiwan Railways is currently planning and designing the seismic reinforcement. It is necessary to enhance the seismic strength of the bridge structure and achieve the seismic capacity of magnitude 6. It is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Thousands of machines and tools were mobilized for the emergency repair project of Taiwan Railway Rookie Guluanxi Bridge, and more than 100 manpower were invested every day.

(Provided by Taiwan Railway Bureau)

Taiwan Railways Taitung Earthquake Disaster Rescue Commander Chen Zhongjun (front) did not take a vacation for 2 months to repair the rookie Guluanxi Bridge.

(Provided by Taiwan Railway Bureau)