TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Freeway Bureau said the new freeway branch linking New Taipei and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is expected to be completed in 2031, significantly reducing travel time and easing peak-hour traffic, CNA reported.
The bureau said the government will spend NT$68.36 billion (US$2.23 billion) on the construction of the 11-km-long road. The project will be carried out in three phases, with the first phase set to begin in April.
The branch will run through Linkou District in New Taipei and Luzhu District in Taoyuan, with four to six lanes in each direction. The project is designed to accommodate rising passenger traffic once the airport’s new runway and Terminal 3 are completed.
The bureau added that the branch will include four interchanges and will also provide access to Taoyuan Aerotropolis, a planned development featuring industrial, commercial, and residential areas. The branch’s connection to the West Coast Expressway will also allow travel to Taipei Port.
The new terminal’s 4,000-meter runway is expected to be completed in 2032. It will increase the airport’s hourly takeoff and landing capacity from 50 to up to 90 flights.
The airport’s Terminal 3 northern concourse opened in December, with all construction scheduled for completion by the end of next year. Once fully operational, the terminal is expected to handle an additional 20 million passengers annually, mainly served by local airlines on routes to Asia, North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
In addition to the branch construction, the bureau said that it began work on four other freeway projects last year. These include a new interchange in Miaoli’s Zaoqiao Township, improvement works at Yuanshan Interchange in Taipei’s Zhongshan District, an interchange upgrade in Tainan, and a widening project at Dazhu Interchange in Taoyuan.
Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said the Dazhu Interchange often experiences congestion due to heavy traffic and traffic signals on surrounding city roads. The widening project, scheduled for completion in 2029, is expected to ease the congestion and provide additional access to the airport and Taoyuan High Speed Rail station.
