Gao City clears up the drainage bottleneck section in Renwu District, and the Bachuan Bridge will be opened to vehicle traffic at 6 o'clock tomorrow night

Bachuan Bridge will be opened to traffic at 6pm tomorrow night for people to travel to and from Fenren Road and Bagualiao area. (Photo by reporter Chen Wenchan)

In order to improve the flooding in Renwu District, Kaohsiung City, the Water Conservancy Bureau invested 630 million yuan to renovate the Balchuan Bridge and open up the bottleneck section of Houjin Creek. The Balchuan Bridge will be opened to traffic in stages at 6 o'clock tomorrow night. Priority will be given to restoring vehicle traffic on the main line Bade 1st Road for people to and from Fenren Road and Bagualiao area. The sidewalk is under continuous construction and is expected to be fully open to traffic in late November.

The upper reaches of Houjin Creek gather Shilong Creek and Caogong Xinzhen. In the past, the Bachuan Bridge and the approximately 205-meter canal section upstream and downstream were affected by the narrowing of the river channel due to the width of the old bridge abutment, resulting in an insufficient flood-carrying section. During heavy rains, the water level in the upstream could easily rise, forming a major drainage bottleneck, causing flooding in Renwu District.

After Typhoon Kemi, the Water Conservancy Bureau comprehensively took stock of flood control needs and sought a NT$630 million subsidy from the Water Resources Department's forward-looking plan to promote the "Bachuan Bridge reconstruction and Caogong-Xinzhen confluence bank revetment widening and management project." The Bachuan Bridge was rebuilt to widen the flood section to 58 meters, and a new 425-meter revetment was built. By expanding the flood section, improving water flow collection conditions, improving flood drainage efficiency, and reducing the risk of surrounding flooding.

The Water Conservancy Bureau pointed out that the project rushed to complete the key river bottleneck opening operation in May this year. During the continuous heavy rains in August, the confluence water level was significantly reduced, and the regional drainage became smoother, demonstrating the effectiveness of phased water control. After the completion of the bridge and upstream and downstream bank protection projects, the overall flood drainage capacity will be further improved and the flood control resilience of Renwu District will be strengthened.

The Water Conservancy Bureau will carry out the asphalt concrete road paving project of Bachuan Bridge tonight, and road markings will be drawn tomorrow. From 6 o'clock tomorrow night, cars and motorcycles can drive Bade 1st Road to and from Fenren Road and Bagualiao area, restoring local transportation convenience.

In addition, after the Bachuan Bridge was widened, an independent sidewalk was added. The project is currently under construction to ensure pedestrian safety and is expected to be fully opened to traffic in late November. The water-proof road connecting the upstream and downstream of Houjin Creek is currently closed due to the bank protection project still under construction. The public is requested to cooperate with on-site traffic control and not enter the construction area to maintain traffic safety.

Bachuan Bridge will be open to traffic at 6 p.m. tomorrow (4th). (provided by the city)