The Suhua Highway Improvement Section from Yilan to Hualien is a crucial lifeline for residents of the eastern region, providing them with a safe route home. The Dong’ao Tunnel— part of the Su’ao–Dong’ao section of Provincial Highway No. 9, managed by the Eastern Region Branch Office Highway Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC)—has faced various challenges since opening in January 2018. Shortly after opening, the road experienced severe congestion due to holiday traffic exceeding its capacity. Complaints from motorists flooded the traffic control center. There were also incidents involving oversized vehicles entering the weighing station of the Suhua Highway Improvement Section. Additionally, with more than 40,000 sets of equipment along the Suhua Highway Improvement Section, effectively managing and arranging inspection personnel and tasks became immediate challenges.
To resolve the aforementioned issues, the team at the Eastern Region Branch Office Highway Bureau brainstormed to develop Taiwan’s first and only “Intelligent Screening Weighing Module”, “Oversized and Hazardous Goods Automatic Detection Device”, and “Smart Digital Inspection System”. Each of these innovations was honored with patent certificates from the Intellectual Property Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The Eastern Region Branch Office Highway Bureau stated that, thanks to the smart inspection system, not only did the equipment’s reliability rate exceed 98%, but they were also able to accurately monitor equipment lifecycles and make budget estimates through big data analysis. Furthermore, they integrated the self-developed “Suhua Highway Intelligent Traffic Flow Control Platform” and AI recognition technology. Compared to the previous setup, this cut travel time by approximately 100 minutes on average, showcasing their high-level professional maintenance and lean management capabilities. This effort provided motorists with a safe, smooth, and convenient driving environment, and earned the Bureau the highest recognition in the field of public construction in Taiwan—the Gold Award for Excellence in “Public Facility Maintenance Management”.
Unit in Charge: Jinyue Branch
Road Condition Inquiries: 03-9962683
Contact Person: Hsin-Wei Chang, Head of Jinyue Branch (Tel: 03-9982501 Ext. 4110)