DEFENSE/Danjiang Bridge closed for 1st time for blockade drill

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) The Danjiang Bridge in northern Taiwan was closed for the first time Thursday for a defensive blockade drill, with troops setting up obstacles to extend the Tamsui River defensive line and prevent enemy forces from advancing toward Taipei.

The bridge, which opened to traffic in May, had its southbound lanes closed from 8 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday for the exercise.

The northbound lanes and the pedestrian and bicycle paths remained open, drawing residents who stopped to watch and take photos.

Once the drill began, dump trucks, military vehicles and requisitioned civilian trailers transported blockade materials onto the southbound lanes.

The blockade zone measured 13 meters wide and 200 meters long and was divided into three sections of about 70 meters each.

The obstacles included 15 concrete blocks, steel hedgehogs, barbed wire and U.S.-made HESCO bastions.

The military planned to complete the installation within four hours and remove the obstacles within another four. The drill was intended to collect operational data and improve future defensive preparations.

Engineers placed wooden beams beneath the concrete blocks to prevent damage to the road surface and ensure the bridge could safely reopen to traffic after the exercise.

One engineer company was deployed for the drill.

A military source told CNA that the exercise was not limited to the bridge itself, but formed part of broader blockade preparations along the Tamsui River aimed at strengthening the area's overall defenses.

The source said the Tamsui River estuary and Bali have long been important defensive positions but were relatively isolated from each other.

While the opening of the Danjiang Bridge has improved local transportation, it could also provide enemy forces with an additional route to cross the river quickly and advance toward Tamsui and central Taipei after capturing the Bali coastline or Taipei Port, the source said.

As the bridge develops into a new transportation hub, both the structure itself and its connecting ramps have become key defensive points, according to the source.

Its inclusion in this year's Han Kuang exercises was intended to rehearse sealing off critical routes and countering enemy forces attempting to cross the bridge and advance toward Taipei.

The Taipei Port, the Bali coastline and the Tamsui River estuary are potential key landing sites for Chinese forces and are among the key areas being tested in this year's Han Kuang drills.