Taiwan Today

The East-West Cross-Island Highway—one of Asia's most impressive examples of man's ability to conquer natural barriers—is a winding thoroughfare running from Hualien on the East Coast to Taichung in the West. Blasted through walls of solid rock in the Central Mountain Range and suspended over gorges where waters rage 2,000 feet below, the l20-mile road has brought a myriad of benefits to the island. It has opened new areas of scenic splendor, made accessible countless acres of farm and pasture land, opened up space for settlement of Taiwan's expanding population, and provided a vast reservoir of raw materials for China's growing industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The highway was begun on July 7, 1956, and completed in April, 1960. Retired servicemen, who made up the bulk of construction teams, had to conquer solid walls of limestone and marble, link up cliffs separated by wide and deep ravines, and skirt mountains too mighty to blast open. Their efforts never faltered, though some lost their lives in landslides and earthquakes, on slippery paths and shaky ladders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some amazing statistics tell the story of the highway: the total construction cost was US$9,874,000; the tunnels, if laid end to end, would be 14,000 feet long; the 26 bridges capable of supporting 20 tons have a cumulative length of 18,000 feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotted along the highway at strategic intervals are comfortable rest houses for the weary bus traveler or fatigued motorist. All are placed in scenes of natural beauty; some command views of the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For grandeur and thrills, nothing can match the drive through the famed Taroko Gorge. At times, the thin thread of the winding highway is barely discernible on the face of the sheer cliffs.