TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Extra ferry services to help travelers bypass an east coast tunnel blocked by a landslide will be canceled due to deteriorating weather, reports said Saturday (Jan. 14).
As work progressed to remove rubble from the Suhua Highway between the counties of Yilan and Hualien, forecasts of strong winds and heavy rain for Sunday (Jan. 15) necessitated the ending of the ferry services between Suao and Hualien, the Liberty Times reported.
Falling rocks crushed a rock shed connecting two tunnels on the highway late on Wednesday (Jan. 11), making traffic impossible for several days. Sunday afternoon is still the target date for reopening the road.
Only one sailing was to be allowed from Hualien to Suao at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, with prospective passengers asked to register at least two hours in advance. In order to make up for the ferry services. The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) helped arrange extra trains for travelers and for the shipment of fruit and vegetables from the Hualien area north.
Work to remove the rocks from the road continued 24 hours a day from both directions, and is on target to be completed by 5 p.m. Sunday, per the Liberty Times.
