Yufu Bicycle Lane crosses the railway bridge section of Xiuguluanxi Bridge. After the 0918 earthquake last year, cracks appeared in the piers and abutments, which have not yet been repaired.

(Photographed by reporter Hua Mengjing)

[Reporter Hua Mengjing/Hualien Report] The Yufu Old Iron Bridge (Xiuguluan Bridge) section, the most essential section of the Yufu Bicycle Trail in Yuli Township, Hualien, crosses the junction of the Philippine and Eurasian plates. It was damaged by the Chishang earthquake on September 18 last year. damage closed.

After the epidemic, CITS recovered. Tourists went to Yuli to ride bicycles to the iron bridge, but found that it was closed, and turned back in frustration.

Complainants said that there is currently no sign of repairs on the iron bridge, and they believe that the notice "scheduled to be repaired on July 18" must be missed, which will have a great impact on local tourism.

The closed fence was set up by the Huadong Rift Valley National Scenic Area Management Office. Zhuang Minghao, deputy director of the longitudinal management office, said that the Yufu Old Iron Bridge is owned by the Railway Bureau and managed by the Yuli Township Office. After the earthquake last year, the damage was reported and approved by the Executive Yuan. The project committee approved more than 46.82 million yuan for disaster repairs. However, due to lack of manpower and other reasons, the Yuli Township Office asked the longitudinal management office for help in December last year, and the longitudinal management office was responsible for the reinforcement of the old iron bridge structure.

Please read on...

According to the longitudinal management department, the Yufu old iron bridge is mainly due to damage to the substructure such as piers and abutments, cracks in the shock absorbers, and displacement of the bridge deck. Reinforcement will be carried out, and anti-fall bridge devices will be added to limit the movement of bridge components. After completing the detailed design and budget drawing, the whole case is expected to be sent to the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Communications in April. After the review is passed, the disaster repair and strengthening project will be published on the purchasing website at the end of April. It is estimated that it will be completed around the lunar calendar next year. If the flood season does not affect Large, the completion schedule can be advanced further.

After the epidemic, domestic and foreign tourists returned, and Huadong Rift Valley welcomed tourists again. This weekend afternoon, some tourists rode the bicycles provided by the hotel and went for a leisurely swim along the Yufu bicycle path. When they rode to the old bridge, they found that the bridge was covered by iron fences. Surrounded by it, there is a notice from the vertical management office on it, "The scheduled completion date of the project is July 18, please divert tourists."

Tourists looked at the damaged bridge deck, and could only take out their mobile phones to take pictures and "come here for a visit." The tourist Ms. Zhang said frankly, "Save some regrets and come back next time."

The Yufu Old Iron Bridge on the south side of the Yuli Bridge on Taiwan Line 9, formerly known as the Xiuguluan River Bridge, is an old railway bridge crossing the Xiuguluan River on the Taidong Line of the Taiwan Railway. It was built during the Japanese occupation era and the bridge crossed the Philippine Sea and Eurasia The eastern end of the continental plate rises by 2 to 3 centimeters every year, and the piers and abutments are deformed year by year. When the Ministry of Communications is carrying out the project of cutting and straightening the route between Yuli and Dongli, the route is rerouted from Changliang to build the "Xinxiu Guluanxi Bridge" to Dongli New Station , shortened by 3.2 kilometers, and the new route was completed and opened in 2007.

As for the 10-kilometer old railway track from Antong to Jiudongli Station, it was adopted by the Yuli Township Office, the rails were demolished, and it was rebuilt into today’s Yufu Bicycle Path. Since the Xiuguluanxi Railway Bridge crosses the Philippine Sea and the junction of the Eurasian plate, It has also become a living geography classroom. It is not only a "high-speed bicycle lane", but also one of the most accessible places to observe fault activities on land in the world.

Tourists rode bicycles to the head of the Yufu Old Iron Bridge. After seeing the bridge closure announcement posted on the vertical pipe, they had to turn back.

(Photographed by reporter Hua Mengjing)

The Yufu Bicycle Path planned by the Yuli Township Office sets up landmarks at the plate junction on the Xiuguluan River Bridge, attracting tourists to witness the living geology classroom.

(File photo, photo by reporter Hua Mengjing)

The Yufu Railway Bridge section of the Yufu Bikeway, formerly known as the Xiuguluanxi Bridge, is a railway bridge for Taiwan Railways. However, because the bridge is located in a fault zone, the east side of the bridge is taller and dislocated.

(Photographed by reporter Hua Mengjing)