The West Coast Expressway: Baishatun to Nantonwan Project includes the construction of a new controlled access highway that will complete a gap in the existing Provincial Highway No. 61 through Miaoli County. The proposed new roadway segment connects the townships of Baishatun in the northeast and Nantonwan in the southwest on the west coast of Taiwan. The project is part of several gap completion efforts along the Highway No. 61 route between Hsinchu City and Changhua (104 km), which is planned for full construction completion by 2018.
The project was approved for construction in 2009 and construction began in February 2014 at a cost of 4.58 billion NT (approximately $134 million USD) through a traditionally tendered contract. The project owner is the Taiwan Directorate General of Highways, Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC). It was designed by CECI Engineering Consultants, Inc. and constructed by Far East Construction Co. Ltd. National Cheng Kung University is responsible for the Greenroads Pilot Project documentation. Works are anticipated to complete in July 2017.
The selected alignment will construct a new two lane roadway in both directions with varying sections as well as interchanges with local roads and other highway routes. The roadway sections include major elevated structures along the mountains (3.2 kilometers in total) and a short tunnel section (155 meters), with the remainder of the alignment constructed as asphalt pavement. The majority of the new alignment crosses land areas that include agricultural lands, small rural communities, and generally undeveloped areas that are considered ecologically sensitive and biologically diverse.
photo-from-the-site-1
photo-from-the-site-2
photo-from-the-site-3
photo-from-the-site-4
photo-from-the-site-5
photo-from-the-site-6
photo-from-the-site-7
photo-from-the-site-8
photo-from-the-site-9
photo-from-the-site-10