Highways and Freeways

As introduced by the Yearbook of the Republic of China:

Highways in Taiwan are classified according to the level of government having jurisdiction over them. Thus, highways are either national, expressway, provincial, county, township, city, or special highways. There are seven different kinds of highways: the freeway, the expressway, the round-the-island highway, the cross-island highway, the longitudinal highway, the coastal highway, and the connecting highway.

In 2002, there were 17.91 million motor vehicles in Taiwan, a 2.5 percent increase from the previous year. However, the number of highway passengers for the year was 1.05 billion, down 3.4 percent from 2001. Cargo transported via Taiwan's highways and freeways also decreased by 3.6 percent, to 289 million tons in 2002.

Sun Yat-sen Freeway

Inaugurated in 1978, the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (also called the North-South Freeway) was Taiwan's first national freeway. The 373-kilometer-long route connects Kaohsiung in the south with both Taipei and Keelung in the north. The freeway is still the island's primary north-south thoroughfare, and the rapid rate at which the traffic load has grown since its opening has resulted in significant wear and tear. Thus, a number of recent transportation projects and plans have been focused on ensuring that the Sun Yat-sen Freeway remains a safe and efficient traffic corridor.

To relieve congestion along the section of the freeway running through Taipei, two 21-kilometer-long elevated viaducts have been constructed that run parallel with the Sun Yat-sen Freeway from the Sijhih interchange in the north to the Wugu interchange in the south.

Several other sections of the freeway running through northern and central Taiwan are also becoming heavily congested. A 31-kilometer-long section of the four-lane freeway running from Yangmei to Hsinchu is one such stretch. To alleviate this situation, an additional lane was added to each side, and interchanges, toll stations, and service areas were added to each side of the heavily used 111-kilometer section from Hsinchu to Yuanlin. This US$495 million project, which began in November 1994, was completed in September 2003.

The Sun Yat-sen Freeway is also becoming saturated in southern Taiwan, and preliminary plans were drawn up to widen the section between Yuanlin and Kaohsiung at the end of 1997. This US$1.01 billion project would begin at the Yuanlin interchange and run 158 kilometers to the Wujia interchange in Kaohsiung. One lane would also be added to each side of the freeway, and two lanes are under consideration for a 4.3-kilometer stretch running through the Kaohsiung metropolitan area. For some sections, bidding and construction started at the beginning of 1998. The project is expected to be completed by 2007.

The volume of traffic on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway has grown by an average of 11 percent annually since its opening. This heavy traffic load, combined with a hot climate, abundant rainfall, and overloaded trucks and trailers, has caused considerable damage to the freeway's surface. To maintain road quality, many five-year road surface repair projects have been completed since 1982.

In addition to expansion and maintenance projects, some major repair work is also being undertaken. The portion of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway crossing central Taiwan's Jhuoshuei River at the Sino-Saudi Arabian Bridge is one such area. The riverbed has deepened over the years because of excessive gravel removal and flooding during typhoons, and thus work is being done to protect the pier and stabilize the riverbed.

New Freeways

With the rapid growth of traffic on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, the Taiwan Expressway Network project was proposed to alleviate some of the traffic load. This project included construction of the Second Freeway, the Taipei-Yilan Freeway, the Eastern Expressway, the Southern Cross-island Expressway, and the Central Cross-island Expressway.

The Second Freeway is generally divided into the Second Northern Freeway and its extension. The Second Freeway totals 432 kilometers from Keelung in the north to Pingtung in the south. Planning was initiated as early as 1985 to alleviate the heavy load on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, and construction started in 1987. The Second North Freeway, which is the main section, extends from Sijhih to Hsinchu, with a 6-kilometer-long Taipei connecting route and a 12-kilometer-long inner beltway to the CKS International Airport. The first part was opened to traffic in 1993.

Extension of the Second North Freeway was begun in 1993. With a 19-kilometer-long beltway to Taichung, 17-kilometer-long branch route to Tainan, and 32-kilometer-long branch route to Kaohsiung, the Second Freeway system now includes 518 kilometers of roadways. The project costs US$13.18 billion and began carrying traffic in January 2004.

The Taipei-Yilan Freeway, which has been under construction since July 1992, will connect the Second Freeway in eastern Taipei with northern Yilan County. Most of the 31-kilometer freeway, including 11 tunnels-the longest of which is 12.9 kilometers long-and 27 bridges, has already been completed. Additional plans, however, call for extending the freeway another 24 kilometers past the Yilan Plain to Suao. The entire project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2005. Once finished, the current three-hour drive from Taipei to Yilan will be shortened to a mere 40 minutes.

The remaining portions of the Taiwan Expressway Network Project, including the Eastern Expressway from Suao via Hualien to Taitung (240 kilometers), the Southern Cross-island Expressway from Taitung to Pingtung (76 kilometers), and the Central Cross-island Expressway from Taichung to Hualien (127 kilometers), are all in the design or planning stages.

Freeway Traffic Control

During holidays, traffic volume is generally 30 to 50 percent above normal. Accordingly, the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau (TANFB) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has adopted a ramp metering control system to maintain an acceptable flow of traffic. This system was introduced on four national holidays in 1993, and after proving to be fairly effective, was gradually extended to include long holidays, weekends, and normal weekdays. The TANFB has implemented a fully automated ramp metering control system over the entire Sun Yat-sen Freeway at a cost of US$14.1 million.

To increase the effectiveness of the ramp metering control system and smooth the flow of traffic on the freeway during long holidays, High Occupancy Vehicle Control has been in force since the 1995 Chinese New Year holiday. This system involves allocating different time slots during which vehicles, depending on their number of passengers, can enter the freeways. High occupancy vehicles, such as buses and cars carrying at least four people, are given priority. As a result, congestion on the freeways during holidays has been significantly reduced.

The following figure is a map of Taiwan's highway network:

Tolls

Taiwan has 22 toll stations: 11 on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway and 11 on the Second Freeway. Standard tolls are NT$40 (US$1.15) for cars, NT$50 (US$1.44) for buses and small trucks, and NT$65 (US$1.87) for trailer trucks. In 2002, a total of 485,897,271 vehicles passed through toll stations, raising the toll revenue to NT$19 billion (US$546.6 million).

To help vehicles pass through more quickly, there are also "No Change" lanes at every toll station in which drivers are encouraged to use coupons that have been conveniently purchased in advance at post offices, gas and toll stations, and service areas.

Nationwide Parking Problem

The number of motorcycles and cars in Taiwan has continued to increase in recent years as strong overall economic growth and rising personal incomes have made the purchase of motor vehicles commonplace. In 2002, there were 17.91 million motor vehicles in the Taiwan area, more than 5.01 million of which were passenger cars. By comparison, there were only 10.05 million vehicles and 2.26 million passenger cars in 1990. With such skyrocketing growth, parking has long been a serious problem. Accordingly, the MOTC has recommended in its revision of the Highway Act (which has been submitted to the Legislature for approval) that every car buyer be required to have a personal parking space. Even so, alleviating the serious shortage of parking spaces in Taiwan will take time. The Public Parking Lot Construction Plan, which calls for building 308 new parking lots in major cities around the island, is currently being implemented at an estimated cost of US$722.86 million.