The Hsuehshan Tunnel or "Snow Mountain" tunnel is the longest tunnel in Taiwan, located on the Taipei-Yilan Freeway (Taiwan National Highway No. 5). The western entrance is located at 24°56′18.96″N 121°42′54″E / 24.9386, 121.715. The eastern entrance is at 24°50′52.08″N 121°47′27.6″E / 24.8478, 121.791. It is through the Hsuehshan Mountain Range. The road connects the city of Taipei to the northeastern county of Yilan (Ilan), cutting down the journey time from two hours to just half an hour. One of the key aims of constructing the tunnel was to connect the western coast of Taiwan, where 95% of the population live to the eastern coast of the island and in doing so tackle the unbalanced development on the island. It is constructed with one pilot tunnel and two main tunnels for eastbound and westbound traffic. The total length is 12.942 km (8.042 mi), making the Hsuehshan Tunnel the second longest road tunnel in East Asia and the fifth longest road tunnel in the world. While excavating the tunnel, engineers encountered difficult geological problems like fractured rock and massive inflows of water, which caused severe delays. One of the three TBMs on the westbound tunnel was buried by a ground collapse. In order to speed up the tunnel boring, an additional working interface in Interchange Station No. 2 (under Ventilation Shaft No. 2) was built. Along the tunnel alignment, there are six major faults, ninety-eight fracture zones, and thirty six high-pressure groundwater. Hence, serious tunnel collapses with groundwater flooding took place periodically during tunnel construction. Altogether, 11 lives were lost during 14 years of construction. When traveling through the Hsuehshan Tunnel, vehicles must not exceed the 70 km/h limit, otherwise the drivers face a NT$3,000 (US$93.75) to NT$6,000 fine. The usual minimum speed limit is 50 km/h. Additionally vehicles must maintain a separation distance of 50 m under normal situations. Even when the speed is less than 20 km/h due to congestion, a separation distance of 20 m (66 ft) must still be maintained. Double solid lines prohibit lane changes. Automated road-rule enforcement cameras are used to monitor speeders, tailgaters, and those who unlawfully change lanes. Announcements of zero tolerance of speeding meant that those traveling at 71 km/h would be fined. After creating controversies, effective 00:00 (UTC+8) on September 16, 2006, a tolerance of 10 km/h has been allowed so speeds up to 80 km/h are no longer automatically penalized. It opened in June 2006 to severe traffic jams. The Hsuehshan Tunnel broadcasts a dedicated radio station on two FM channels inside the tunnel. Drivers can tune to either of the two FM stations to hear announcements regarding the Hsuehshan Tunnel, rules for driving inside the tunnel, and music. As of May 1, 2008, the speed limit has been raised to 80 km/h with a 10 km/h tolerance. At this speed a trip through the 12.9 km tunnel takes 8.6 minutes. |
