Kinmen Bridge

金門大橋
Coordinates24°27′03″N 118°16′59″E / 24.45083°N 118.28306°E / 24.45083; 118.28306
LocaleJinning and Lieyu in Kinmen, Fujian, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Characteristics
Designbridge
Total length5 km
Width15 meters
Longest span200 m
No. of lanes4
History
Construction start2013
Construction end2022
Construction costNT$9 billion
OpenedOctober 30, 2022
Location
Map

The Kinmen Bridge[1] (traditional Chinese: 金門大橋; simplified Chinese: 金门大桥; pinyin: Jīnmén Dàqiáo) is a cross-sea bridge in Kinmen, Fujian, Republic of China (Taiwan). It connects Greater Kinmen Island and Lieyu Island.[2]

History

On 28 February 2010, this project of constructing the bridge was approved by Council for Economic Planning and Development of the Republic of China.[3] On 9 January 2011, President Ma Ying-jeou traveled to Kinmen to host the groundbreaking ceremony.[4] The bridge construction commenced in 2013. However, on 29 June 2016, the construction work was suspended when the Government of the Republic of China terminated the contract with Kuo Teng Construction Co. (the construction company which had been building the bridge), due to the poor construction management that had caused the project to be seriously behind schedule.

During August 2016, the Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau invited new contractor companies to complete the remaining project. The bureau announced the tender winner on 31 August 2016.[5] Work resumed on 28 December 2016 and was at that point expected to be completed by 25 September 2020. However, in February 2017, Public Construction Commission Minister Wu Hong-mo requested the bridge completion date to be moved earlier to the end of 2019.[6]

In August 2019, the last pile of the bridge was installed and was expected to be completed by mid-2021. The Kinmen Bridge was opened to the public on 30 October 2022.[7][8]

Architecture

The bridge links Jinning Township on Greater Kinmen Island and Lieyu Township on Lieyu Island. It spans over 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi) in length and is supported by five towers separated 280 metres (920 ft) apart.[9] The bridge surface is 15 metres (49 ft) wide, and consists of two lanes for vehicles, one lane for pedestrians, and one lane for bicycles.[10]

Budget

A total of NT$7.39 billion was originally budgeted for the bridge construction, of which NT$3.96 billion came from the central government and NT$3.43 billion came from Kinmen County Government. After repeated delays, the budget blew out to about NT$9 billion. Performance bond from Kuo Teng Construction Co. was taken to cover the extra cost incurred. However, there is still a shortfall of NT$500 million.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "President Ma: Construction of Kinmen Bridge Signifies Kinmenese Hope" 馬總統：大橋興建代表金門人民希望 (in Chinese (Taiwan) and English). Translated by Wilson Chou. Kinmen Daily News. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2019. President Ma explained the reason for building a bridge linking Kinmen and Lieyu (Little Kinmen) as follows: With the resident population of Lieyu Township being only between 2000-3000, transportation is not the primary reason. With what the central government most concerned is Kinmen's status in the overall cross-strait relation and its competition with Xiamen. He believed that with the completion of the construction, Kinmen Bridge would become a marvelous tourist landmark in Kinmem [sic]. 馬總統說，烈嶼鄉的常住人口不過兩、三千人，蓋橋除了考量大、小金門的交通，最主要是看重金門在整個兩岸關係的地位，以及未來面對廈門的競爭。他相信，金門大橋的興建，將成為金門觀光的絕佳地標。
  2. ^ "Premier Lin promises financial support for Kinmen Bridge plan".
  3. ^ 金門日報 (1 January 2001). "英文原來這樣說(English Is A Piece of Cake)".
  4. ^ 金門日報 (1 January 2001). "英文原來這樣說(English Is A Piece of Cake)".
  5. ^ "Bridge builder faces termination - Taipei Times".
  6. ^ a b "Expedited completion of Kinmen Bridge requested - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com.
  7. ^ Shan, Shelley (12 August 2019). "Kinmen Bridge to open by mid-2021, Minister Lin says". Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  8. ^ Huang Hui-min and Sean Lin (30 October 2022). "After 3 decades of stops and starts, Kinmen Bridge opens to traffic". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Premier promises financial support for Kinmen Bridge project". focustaiwan.tw.
  10. ^ "Construction of Kinmen Bridge commences". China Post. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
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