The

Hsuehshan Xueshan or Sekuwan (in Atayal, formerly known as among others) is a mountain in the Heping District of Taichung, Taiwan. It is the 2nd-highest mountain in Taiwan and in East Asia, at above sea level. It is located in the Shei-Pa National ...

Tunnel () is the longest tunnel in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, located on the

National Freeway 5 National freeway 5 is a freeway in Taiwan, which begins in Taipei City at Nangang Junction on National freeway 3 and ends in Su-ao, Yilan on Masai Road. Although it was called the Beiyi Freeway (Chinese abbreviation for Taipei to Yilan) prior to ...

. It opened on June 16, 2006.

Overview

The tunnels are bored through the

Hsuehshan Range The Xueshan Range is a mountain range in northern Taiwan. It is bordered by the Chungyang Range to the southeast. The tallest peak of the Xueshan Range is Xueshan/Sekuwan, which has a height of . Shei-Pa National Park is located around the pe ...

. The road connects

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

through

New Taipei New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

to Yilan County, cutting down the journey time from two hours to just half an hour. It bypasses the rural district of Pinglin, which used to receive high traffic prior to the completion of the tunnel. One of the key aims of constructing the tunnel was to connect the western coast of Taiwan, where 95% of the population lives, to the eastern coast of the island and in doing so tackle the unbalanced development on the island. It is constructed with one pilot tunnel and two main tunnels for eastbound and westbound traffic. The total length is , making the Hsuehshan Tunnel the ninth longest

road tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

in the world (fifth at the time of opening) and sixth longest in

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

. The tunnel opened in June 2006 to severe

traffic jams Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular Queuing theory, queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, ...

Tunnel Construction

Tunnel construction began in July 1991 and took 15 years to complete and cost a total of NT$90.6 billion (US$2.83 billion). Tunnel construction used of concrete, of cables, and 2,000 lighting units. While excavating the tunnel, engineers encountered difficult geological problems such as fractured rock and massive inflows of water, which caused severe delays. One of the three TBMs on the westbound tunnel was buried by a ground collapse. In order to speed up the tunnel boring, an additional working interface in Interchange Station No. 2 (under Ventilation Shaft No. 2) was built. Along the tunnel alignment, there are six major faults, ninety-eight fracture zones, and thirty six high-pressure groundwater sources. Hence, serious tunnel collapses with groundwater flooding took place periodically during tunnel construction. Altogether, 25 people died during 15 years of construction.

Operations

When traveling through the Hsuehshan Tunnel, vehicles must not exceed the limit; otherwise the drivers face a NT$3,000 (US$93.75) to NT$6,000 (US$187.5) fine. The usual minimum

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, express ...

is 70 km/h. Additionally vehicles must maintain a separation distance of under normal situations. Even when the speed is less than due to congestion, a separation distance of must still be maintained. Double solid lines prohibit lane changes. Automated

road-rule enforcement camera A traffic enforcement camera (also a red light camera, speed camera, road safety camera, bus lane camera, depending on use) is a camera which may be mounted beside or over a road or installed in an enforcement vehicle to detect motoring offense ...

s are used to monitor speeders, tailgaters, and those who unlawfully change lanes. Announcements of zero tolerance of speeding meant that those traveling at 71 km/h would be fined. After creating controversies, effective 00:00 (

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

+8) on September 16, 2006, a tolerance of 10 km/h has been allowed so speeds up to 80 km/h are no longer automatically penalized. As of Nov 1, 2010, the speed limit was raised to 90 km/h to allievate traffic.

Tunnel information

* Tunnel length: ** Pilot tunnel: ** Main tunnels: *** Southbound tunnel: *** Northbound tunnel: * Constructed by: RSEA * Design speed: 70 km/h (Operational speed limit was raised to 90 km/h) * Location:

Pinglin District Pinglin District (a.k.a. Ping-Lin, ) is a rural district of southeastern New Taipei, Taiwan. It is the third-largest district of New Taipei City and it is located in the mountainous area bordering Yilan County. Overview Pinglin is part of the ...

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

and Toucheng Township, Yilan County * Ventilation shaft: 3 * Total cost: NT$18,555,000,000 ( US$562,273,000) * Date of groundbreaking: ** Pilot tunnel: July 1991 ** Main tunnels: July 23, 1993 * Date of breakthrough: ** Pilot tunnel: October 2003 ** Main tunnels: *** Southbound tunnel: September 2004 *** Northbound tunnel: April 2004 * Date of opening: June 16, 2006

References

External links