President Lai witnesses installation of Danjiang Bridge's final span

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) attended the ceremony witnessing the installation of the Danjiang Bridge's final span on Tuesday in New Taipei.

Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) were also present to observe the installation of the final span of world's longest asymmetric single-mast bridge, nearly seven years after construction began.

In his speech, Lai said the bridge connecting New Taipei's Tamsui and Bali districts was a "major national construction," and underscored its importance to local traffic.

He praised it as a "piece of art," noting that CNN named it as one of "11 architecture projects set to shape the world in 2025" in January.

An opening ceremony for the bridge is scheduled for May 9, 2026, with public access beginning on May 12.

The 920-meter-long bridge will alleviate 30 percent of traffic from the Guandu Bridge and save about 25 minutes of time for travelers heading to the Taoyuan International Airport or downtown Taipei, according to Chen.

The design of the bridge also took into consideration its effects on the Tamsui River landscape, said Cheng Min-chung (鄭閔中), head of the Highway Bureau Northern Region New Construction Branch third engineering section, in a recent interview with CNA.

The British firm Zaha Hadid Architects stood out from five other bidders for its single-mast bridge design, which was less visually intrusive than the others' twin-mast designs, Cheng recalled.

The bridge is also the first in Taiwan with a damper, boosting its earthquake resistance to an intensity of 7, the highest on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, he said.

However, its unique curvilinear design also increased construction difficulty, resulting in seven failed tenders between 2017 and 2018, and a series of budget adjustments and delays.

Moreover, after construction began in 2019, the construction team had to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages, soaring raw material prices, and the Russia-Ukraine war, pushing up the budget from the initial NT$15.43 billion (US$509.24 million) to NT$23.038 billion, Cheng said.

According to Cheng, finishing touches to the bridge will be done during the next eight months until May 2026, including the pavement, landscape lights, guardrails, soundproof walls, wind fences, as well as inspections on the stayed cables, dismantling the tower crane, and load tests.

The bridge was first proposed in 1998 to improve local traffic and passed its environmental impact assessment in 1999.

However, the plan was halted in 2001 due to concerns about its impact on the ecology of the Danshuei River Mangrove Nature Reserve.

After a reassessment required by the MOTC in 2007, three examinations by a task force from the Environmental Protection Administration (now the Ministry of Environment), and a confirmation review by the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee General Meeting in June 2013, the project was approved by the Executive Yuan in January 2014.

Traffic impact

Some have raised concerns about the bridge bringing increasing traffic and congestion in Bali.

Wu Cheng-yen (吳政諺), a technical specialist at the New Taipei Transportation Department, said that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has evaluated the potential effects on Provincial Highway 64, an east-west expressway starting in Bali and connecting many major districts in New Taipei.

The ministry concluded that the level of increased service is at an acceptable level, Wu added.

At the Tamsui end, a small-scale transfer station will be planned to integrate parking spaces for transferring visitors to public transport, including the Danhai Light Rail, buses and Youbikes.

The New Taipei City government is considering tendering express bus services to the Taoyuan airport and the city's Banqiao District to divert traffic, Wu said.

According to New Taipei Tourism Bureau Director Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉), the bridge is expected to boost regional development and tourism, connecting tourist spots along the riverbanks of Tamsui and Bali, including the Tamsui Old Street, the Fisherman's Wharf, Fort San Domingo, and the Bali Left Bank bike path.

Yang told CNA that sidewalks and bike paths are also designed on the bridge, along with reserved space for integration with the light rail system, encouraging tourists to enjoy the scenic views of the Tamsui River in a more leisurely and environmentally friendly fashion.