Taroko Gorge road to Tianxiang reopens after natural dam collapses

Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) Hualien authorities on Wednesday reopened the section of Provincial Highway No. 8 between Taroko National Park and Tianxiang following the controlled demolition of a landslide dam.

Vehicle traffic can now access the section of the highway, closed since Oct. 17 after a barrier lake formed near the west entrance of the Jinheng Tunnel in Taroko National Park, during designated hours, the Highway Bureau's Eastern Region Branch Office said.

The 175-176 km section of the highway, including the Jinheng Tunnel and Ludan Bridge, is no longer flooded, and repair crews immediately went to the site to inspect facilities and clear mud from the road, the office said in a release at 2:37 p.m.

Before the closure, multiple sections of the Central Cross-Island Highway in Hualien County had already been subject to time‑restricted traffic control as repair work continued on damaged slopes, road surfaces and roadbed gaps.

Local authorities closed the stretch of road on Oct. 17 as a precaution after the barrier lake was determined to be at risk of overflow, which occurred in the days that followed.

A controlled demolition to lower the dam was begun on Saturday, leading to its collapse at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Forestry and Natural Conservation Agency's (FANCA) Hualien Office.

When the dam collapsed, the water level of the lake dropped about 18 meters within 40 minutes, Chiu Yi-chien (朱懿千), deputy head of FANCA's Hualien Office, said.

FANCA's Hualien Office said the situation posed no immediate risks, but the downstream portion of the Liwu River to the river mouth remains dangerous, and the public was urged to stay clear of the riverbed.