FEATURE / Imperfect but real: Kuo Hsing-chun accepts being 'not my old self'

As Taiwan prepares to open one of its most ambitious infrastructure projects, residents on both sides of the Tamsui River are weighing what the new Danjiang Bridge will bring -- relief from gridlock, an influx of tourists, or simply new traffic headaches.

The world's longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge has been described by veteran engineers as "a mission impossible" because it demands a careful balance between aesthetics and engineering.

With four car lanes, dedicated routes for motorcycles, bicycles, sidewalks, and space reserved for a future light rail line, the Danjiang Bridge between New Taipei's Tamsui and Bali districts is intended to relieve what has been for decades one of the country's most grueling traffic chokepoints.