Bypass bridge to Guangfu Township intact after flood: Officials

Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) A temporary bypass bridge leading to Guangfu Township in Hualien County remained structurally intact in the wake of brief flooding from a nearby barrier lake Tuesday night, the Highway Bureau said Wednesday.

The bypass bridge, built along Provincial Highway No. 9, was left covered in mud and driftwood when the floodwaters subsided, but there was no damage to its piers, according to the bureau's Eastern Region Branch Office.

Cleanup crews were working Wednesday morning to clear the debris and inspect the foundation of the bridge, the office said. Once the bridge is deemed safe, it will be reopened by noon, the office said.

The temporary bypass bridge was built after the Matai'an Creek Bridge on Provincial Highway No. 9 collapsed during devastating flooding in September, cutting off Guangfu Township in the eastern county.

The floods, caused by a breach of the nearby Matai'an Creek Barrier Lake, inundated the township, killing many residents and causing extensive infrastructure damage.

The bypass bridge was completed on Oct. 10 and opened to traffic two days later, restoring access to Guangfu Township. However, it was closed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as a precaution after the Hualien County government announced at noon that another barrier lake had formed upstream in the Matai'an Creek and might overflow within 24 hours.

At around 9 p.m., the new lake began to overflow, and the bypass bridge was flooded less than an hour later, but by 10:45 p.m. the floodwaters had subsided, according to the Highway Bureau's branch office.