Some sections of Kaohsiung-Taiwan Line 17 are open to traffic. It will take another 2 years to open the entire line to traffic.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Qimai and Interior Minister Liu Shifang and others inspected the new Taiwan Line 17 Coastal Link Road project today (9th). The overall progress is currently at 75%, and some sections of the road have been opened to traffic in sections. However, because the Naval Atmospheric and Oceanographic Bureau and the Hansheng Radio Station have not yet been demolished, a U-shaped alternative road needs to be taken south of Weiliu Road. Mayor Chen Qimai said that it would take another two years to open the entire line to traffic.

Today, Chen Qimai, together with Minister of the Interior Liu Shifang, Director of the Department of Land and Resources Cai Changzhan and fellow residents of Nanzi District, went to the intersection of Demin Road and Nanhai Road to listen to a briefing on the new Taiwan Line 17 project. The group then took a special car and went to two navy posts that had been relocated due to the project and the South Gate Circle to inspect the latest progress of the project.

The construction of the new Taiwan Line 17 took 9 years. It starts from Dianchang Road in Qiaotou District in the north and ends at the South Gate Circle in Zuoying District in the south. The total length is about 7.3 kilometers, with a total project cost of more than 3.8 billion. Construction is divided into northern and southern sections. The northern section, from Dianchang Road in Qiaotou District to Demin Road in Nanzi District, will be opened to traffic in June 2022; the southern section is also under construction at full speed, with the overall progress reaching 75%, and some sections have been opened to traffic in sections.

However, the project starts from the south of Weiliu Road. Since it is stuck in the Naval Atmospheric and Oceanographic Bureau and the Hansheng Radio Station have not yet been demolished, we can only take the U-shaped alternative road from Weiliu Road - Military Academy Road - Haiping Road, and finally connect to the South Gate Circle.

Chen Qimai thanked Liu Shifang and Zuo Nan Legislator Li Boyi for their vigorous support, with a central subsidy of 2.6 billion. He also thanked the Ministry of National Defense for facilitating the move, especially the relocation of the outposts involving the Navy's spiritual fortress. At present, part of the road section is open to traffic, allowing people from Qiaotou and Ziguan to drive to Zuoying, which can shorten the time by 15 to 20 minutes. It is very important for sea-line transportation and also relieves the traffic problems on Cuihua Road around the TSMC factory area. However, due to the demolition of Hansheng Radio Station and other projects in the middle, some sections of the road will be converted to alternative roads. It is expected that the entire line will be opened to traffic in a straight line in two years.

The New Works Division of the Public Works Bureau stated that the Nanmen Circle project at the southernmost end of the New Taiwan Line 17, which has changed the six intersections of the circle into cross-shaped intersections, has been opened to traffic, and related projects such as sidewalks, parking lots, and green belts are still in progress in the surrounding areas.