Quake cluster closes roads, damages bridge in Hualien

Quake cluster closes roads, damages bridge in Hualien

2024-04-23

Widespread damage has been reported in Hualien as a result of the quakes. At Xiulin Township, the piers of Tongmen Bridge were shifted out of place, and big cracks have appeared on the asphalt. Provincial Highway 8 is now closed off to traffic until repairs are made and debris is cleared. Taroko National Park will remain closed until May 7.

Here at Hualien’s Xiulin Township, the bridge’s piers have been displaced. This is the Tongmen Bridge, the only access road to the Mukumugi Valley. Large cracks appeared on the asphalt after the quakes.

Chung Ming-hsien
Dowmung Village
We’re still getting a lot of aftershocks, everyone is scared. Even I haven’t slept. We don’t know how much damage the bridge has sustained.

After a preliminary assessment, it was determined that the misalignment was caused by loosened soil. Though the bridge is still passable, traffic has been limited to just one direction at a time to ensure safety.

At the 34.5 kilometer mark of Provincial Highway 11, excavators clear large rocks blocking Mingde Tunnel and push them to the side of the road. Landslides have left debris on the road and eroded its foundation. Over at Provincial Highway 8, rockslides have blocked the eastern section connecting Tianxiang and Taroko in many areas. The road has been closed. Its reopening on Wednesday will depend on the progress of repairs.

On Monday afternoon, Silks Place Taroko Hotel announced that it would remain closed until June 30. Taroko National Park will remain closed until May 7. One Hualien resident reported seeing a large swarm of millipedes on the road Monday evening, leading himto suspect that a big earthquake was on its way.

Mr. Wu
Hualien resident
It was along the riverside near Tzu Chi Elementary School. I was taking a stroll and saw that the ground next to the gazebo was covered with millipedes. We walk past there every day and had never seen that before.

At the Qixingtan Security Checkpoint, a security camera captured a dog running amok during a temblor. Surveillance at Nanbin Park shows trees swaying. At Dashibishan in Fengbin Township, the shaking was so intense that it sent a camera toppling over. Tuesday’s cluster of quakes left Hualien all shook up.

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