Provincial Highway 12, named as Taiwan Boulevard (台灣大道) for its entire length, is a 23.2 km
east–west highway that connects
Port of Taichung
The Port of Taichung (), also Taichung Port, is a port located in Wuqi District, Taichung, Taiwan. It is the second-largest port in Taiwan after Port of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Port and operated by Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Taiwan's st ...
in
Wuqi with downtown
Taichung City
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Central Taiwan. It serves as th ...
.
Highway 12 is one of the major thoroughfares of Taichung, connecting the historic downtown at
Central District Central District may refer to:
Places
* Central District (Botswana)
* Central district, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
* Central District, Xiamen, China, now Siming District, Fujian
* Central, Hong Kong, also called Central District
* List of Central District ...
with its newer
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
in
Xitun District
Xitun District or Situn District (, literally "western village") is the second-most populated district of Taichung, Taiwan. It is located on the western side of the city. Once considered part of the countryside, the district has seen rapid grow ...
. The road is also one of three that connect to
National freeway 1
National Freeway 1 (), also known as Sun Yat-sen Freeway (), is a turnpike in Taiwan, the first restricted controlled-access highway built in Taiwan. It begins in Keelung at the intersection of Xiao 2nd Road and Zhong 4th Road and ends in Kao ...
in Xitun. Between 2014 and 2015, the
Taichung BRT
The Taichung BRT () was a bus rapid transit (BRT) system located in Taichung which stretched from Taichung TRA station to Providence University via Taiwan Boulevard, a major thoroughfare. The line was in length with 21 stations. It was the first ...
ran on Highway 12 between
Taichung railway station
Taichung station () is a railway station in Taichung, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railway (TR). It is served by all TR services on the Western Trunk line.
History
The station was originally constructed in 1905 in a wooden building architectural ...
and
Providence University
Providence University (PU; ) is a Catholic co-educational institution in Shalu District, Taichung City, Taiwan. Providence University is one of the U12 Consortium member schools, and is one of two Taiwan universities participating in the ISEP ...
in
Shalu District
Shalu District (; lit: Sand Deer) is a suburban district in central Taichung City, Taiwan.
History
Originally a settlement of the Papora people, this region was named . During the Kingdom of Tungning (1662－1683), the Taiwanese Plains Abo ...
, and there are plans to build
a metro line at the BRT system's former course.
Route description
Highway 12 begins with additional separated
motorcycle lanes
Motorcycle lane is a term used for the special lane on a roadway that is designated for small vehicles such as motorcycles, Scooter (motorcycle), scooters, bicycles and trishaw. It's usually situated between the other lanes, marked by 2 parallel y ...
on each side at the intersection with
Highway 17 in
Wuqi District
Wuqi District () is a coastal suburban District (Taiwan), district in southern Taichung, Taiwan. The Port of Taichung is in Wuqi District.
History
After the Retrocession Day, handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China (1912–1949) ...
, near the gate of the
Port of Taichung
The Port of Taichung (), also Taichung Port, is a port located in Wuqi District, Taichung, Taiwan. It is the second-largest port in Taiwan after Port of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Port and operated by Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Taiwan's st ...
. The route runs southeast, crossing
Highway 61 and
Highway 1, before being elevated over the
Western Trunk railway line via the Shalu Overpass (沙鹿陸橋). At downtown
Shalu District
Shalu District (; lit: Sand Deer) is a suburban district in central Taichung City, Taiwan.
History
Originally a settlement of the Papora people, this region was named . During the Kingdom of Tungning (1662－1683), the Taiwanese Plains Abo ...
, the route turns south and begins climbing the
Dadu Plateau
The Dadu Plateau (), also known as Dadu Mountain or Dadushan (), is a plateau that stretches across Taichung, Taiwan. It borders the Taichung Basin in the east and the seacoast of Taichung in the west, and lies between the Dajia River and the Dad ...
. At
Providence University
Providence University (PU; ) is a Catholic co-educational institution in Shalu District, Taichung City, Taiwan. Providence University is one of the U12 Consortium member schools, and is one of two Taiwan universities participating in the ISEP ...
, the two lanes directly adjacent to the motorcycle lane divider become
bus lane
A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, generally to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway completely dedicated for use by buses, whilst ...
s, which were formerly dedicated to the
Taichung BRT
The Taichung BRT () was a bus rapid transit (BRT) system located in Taichung which stretched from Taichung TRA station to Providence University via Taiwan Boulevard, a major thoroughfare. The line was in length with 21 stations. It was the first ...
, but now permit conventional buses to run on.
Near the peak, the road turns southeast and briefly enters
Longjing District
Longjing District () is a coastal suburban district in western Taichung, Taiwan.
Geography
Longjing shares borders with Wuqi and Shalu to the north, Xitun to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Dadu and Shengang in Changhua Count ...
as it intersects Zhongxing Road, which connects to County Route 136 for access to
National Freeway 3.
The road enters
Xitun District
Xitun District or Situn District (, literally "western village") is the second-most populated district of Taichung, Taiwan. It is located on the western side of the city. Once considered part of the countryside, the district has seen rapid grow ...
as it descends into downtown Taichung. At the bottom, the road crosses the
Fazi River, then connects to
National Freeway 1
National Freeway 1 (), also known as Sun Yat-sen Freeway (), is a turnpike in Taiwan, the first restricted controlled-access highway built in Taiwan. It begins in Keelung at the intersection of Xiao 2nd Road and Zhong 4th Road and ends in Kao ...
and
Highway 74 before the middle lanes are elevated over County Route 127 on an overpass known as Guangming Overpass (光明陸橋). After crossing
Highway 1B in
West District, Taichung
West District () is a district of Taichung, Taiwan. It is the second smallest district in Taichung City after Central District. Former Taichung City Hall and part of Taichung City Government offices are located in this district.
History
Th ...
, the road's motorcycle lanes and bus lanes end. The road continues through
Central District Central District may refer to:
Places
* Central District (Botswana)
* Central district, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
* Central District, Xiamen, China, now Siming District, Fujian
* Central, Hong Kong, also called Central District
* List of Central District ...
before ending at the north side of
Taichung railway station
Taichung station () is a railway station in Taichung, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railway (TR). It is served by all TR services on the Western Trunk line.
History
The station was originally constructed in 1905 in a wooden building architectural ...
.
Major intersections
The entire route is in
Taichung City
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Central Taiwan. It serves as th ...
.
References
Highways in Taiwan
{{taiwan-road-stub