Midnight construction works: Kaohsiung tree dug up to make space for light rail

2023-02-27

Construction is well underway on phase two of Kaohsiung’s new circular light rail line. In February, the team completed a transplant of a massive tree, to make space for a new station. The majestic tree had to be removed at night to minimize disruption. It will be transplanted to a new home at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. But digging it up from the middle of a busy intersection at midnight was a real challenge. We spent the evening with the team to find out what it takes to re-home a giant.

9 p.m. at a busy intersection in Kaohsiung. Traffic restrictions go into effect, as construction workers start to move this rain tree to a new home, to make space for phase two of the light rail project.

Towering above Dashun Road at more than 10 meters tall, this rain tree has stood here more than two decades. The team first pray to the tree and greet it, wishing for a smooth operation tonight. The tree is dug out of the ground, and two cranes are hard at work pruning its branches.

The plan is to place the new light rail station exactly where the tree stands now, but the team are trying to preserve as much as they can.

Chiang Ming-ching
Kaohsiung light rail phase II project manager
This is a rather old part of the city. There are lots of roads intersecting here, and the roads are curved. It’s very difficult in terms of maintaining the traffic.

Chang Po-yang
Kaohsiung City councilor
The apartment I rent myself is right next to the light rail line. Before they begin construction, they negotiate with the local borough chief and with local residents. Of course, they’re working at night – from 9 p.m. right through to 3 a.m. We want to let them finish the job with as little disturbance as possible to the traffic network in the city.

The giant cranes and forklift truck work together. As the tree falls to its side, heavy machinery is on hand as well. Everyone’s on alert to make sure there are no mishaps.

Lee Yi-lun
Landscape architecture agency
The difficult thing about working at night is you have to be fast. This is a residential area, and they want us finished by midnight. If we start at 9 p.m. we just have three hours. You have to prune the tree, package it, dig it out of the ground, load it onto the truck; and it must not be too wide or too tall to take on the exit route you’ve arranged.

The tree will take up residence at a new home in Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. There it will have plenty of space to extend its branches, bringing leafy shade to the hillside and sheltering a new generation of Kaohsiung residents.

熬夜幫樹搬家！直擊高雄輕軌雨豆樹移植工程

2023-02-27

距離高雄輕軌成圓的目標，還有10個月要打拚，尤其二月正在進行雨豆樹移植工程，為了降低交通衝擊，施工單位利用晚上，熬夜進行老樹搬遷作業，帶你現場直擊。

車水馬龍的十字路口，晚上9點開始交通管制，高雄輕軌二階工程，為了幫雨豆樹搬家，工作人員熬夜奮鬥。

10多公尺高的雨豆樹，在大順路扎根超過20年，工作人員對著老樹虔誠祈禱，希望夜間施工順利。斷根後的雨豆樹，有2部吊車同時升空剪枝。

輕軌二階在大順路段的規劃是以站就樹，儘量就地保留。

[[輕軌二階工程計劃經理姜名擎]]
“這邊屬於以前比較舊的市鎮。這邊的交叉路口特別多，而且這邊是半環狀的路型，很多的交通維持上面困難度比較高。”

[[高雄市議員(基進)張博洋]]
“包含我自己租屋處就在輕軌沿線，他們在施工之前其實都會跟當地的里長，以及住戶來進行溝通，當然因為夜間施工嘛，晚上9點一路到半夜凌晨3點，儘量不要去打擾，城市的交通路網之下讓它完工。”

大型吊車、拖板車同時待命，就在老樹倒下的那一刻，重機具登場，專業分工，不能有一點閃失。

[[園藝公司負責人李宜倫]]
“夜間的難度在於說要快速，這邊都是住宅，他希望我們在12點以前完成，其實我們9點開始只剩3小時，要鋸樹要包樹還要把樹挖起來，還要裝載包含你要運輸路線，不能超高超寬。”

大家齊心為移植到高美館的雨豆樹，綁上稻草席，在廣闊的小山丘伸展枝葉，也種下新希望。