New Lo-Fu Bridge, Taiwan

Route Tai-7 is a major traffic artery in northern Taiwan. It passes through a mountainous area and, because it offers such attractive scenery, the road becomes especially congested at holiday times. Thus, the Taiwan Provincial Highway Bureau planned a new bridge with approaches 100 m upstream of the existing bridge. The new bridge crosses the river valley at about 70° angle. The valley is approximately 150 m wide at the bridge site and the height from valley floor to the bridge deck is 35-45 m. Because of the steep slopes and the deep valley bottom, underwater foundations were considered cost-prohibitive. The new two-lane bridge, therefore, spans the valley with footings on each bank. A light steel structure was selected, as it better suited the surrounding landscape.