TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Despite consistent rain, hundreds of people arrived at the new Danjiang Bridge between Tamsui and Bali in New Taipei for festivities Saturday.
The crowds also included President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), per UDN. While the bridge won’t be open for traffic until 11:30 a.m. on May 12, there have already been several activities celebrating its completion.
Saturday’s event, titled “Thanksgiving, Beautiful Night,” included a tribute to the engineers who worked on the construction of the bridge. The program also featured a show with more than 600 drones, the performance of a new work by Cloud Gate Dance Theater, and concerts.
From 4 p.m., people brandishing umbrellas or wearing raincoats started arriving at the bridge. A 700-inch screen had been set up to allow more viewers to watch the event, per CNA.
At 950 meters, the Danjiang Bridge is the world’s longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge. Zaha Hadid Architects and Sinotech Engineering Consultants were responsible for its design.
The bridge is planned to ease traffic problems surrounding Tamsui, a major weekend destination on the estuary of the Tamsui River. The new bridge will facilitate the flow of traffic to and from the rest of New Taipei as well as Taoyuan, officials said.
