General Information
| Name in local language: | 南方澳大橋 (Nánfāng'ào Dàqiáo) |
|---|---|
| Completion: | 1998 |
| Status: | collapsed (1 October 2019) |
Project Type
| Structure: |
Tied-arch bridge with inclined hangers Axial (single) tied-arch bridge |
|---|---|
| Function / usage: |
Road bridge |
| Material: |
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Location
Technical Information
Dimensions
| main span | 140 m | |
| arch | rise | 18 m |
| deck | width | 14 m |
Materials
| piers |
reinforced concrete
|
|---|
Chronology
| 1 October 2019, ca. 09:30 | As a tanker truck is crossing the bridge, it suddenly collapses into the waterway below, trapping several fisher boats underneath it. At least 14 persons are injured and 6 more reported missing. |
|---|---|
| 1 October 2019, ca. 09:30 | Während der Überfahrt eines Tanklastwagens bricht die Brückentafel plötzlich ein, sodass die ganze Brücke in den Wasserweg darunter stürzt. Mehrere Fischerboote werden unter den Trümmern eingeklemmt. Mindestens 14 Personen werden verletzt und 6 weitere vermisst. |
Excerpt from Wikipedia
The Nanfang'ao Bridge (Chinese: 南方澳大橋; pinyin: Nánfāng'ào Dàqiáo) was a bridge in Nanfang'ao Fishing Port, Su'ao Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. It was the only steel single-arch bridge in Taiwan and it is maintained by Taiwan International Ports Corporation.
History
The bridge was designed by MAA Consultants (Chinese: 亞新工程顧問股份有限公司) and built by Yilan County Government. The construction started in 1996 and was commissioned by Ministry of Transportation and Communications. It was finally opened to the public in 1998 and was transferred to Keelung Port Bureau (now Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC)) for its management. The bridge was constructed to replace the former lower bridge around the same area so that large fishing vessels could pass through underneath it.
Since its opening, it was only inspected once by Chien Hsin University of Science and Technology in 2016. During the inspection, it was found that the bridge's expansion joints were "obviously warped, damaged and sagging." From 2017 to 2018, TIPC spent NT$10 milliion to clean the expansion joins and other reinforcement works.
Collapse
On 1 October 2019 at 09:30 the bridge collapsed, injuring more than 20 people, many of whom were on fishing vessels in the harbor below. Video shows an oil tanker truck nearly making it across to the other side when the bridge collapsed, sending the truck hurtling into the water, whereupon it burst into flames. There were in total 6 people on the bridge during the collapse. The collapsing bridge damaged 3 fishing boats beneath it, injuring and trapping a number of migrants workers who were on the boats.
Local authorities requested the armed forces to help in the search and rescue operation, who were then followed by the Coast Guard Administration, Ministry of National Defense and National Airborne Service Corps. President Tsai Ing-wen said, "We hope to safely rescue all in the shortest time to minimise the damages".
Search and rescue operation teams faced difficulties in finding the missing people due to the underwater location which had low visibility. As of 3 October 2019, there had been 6 confirmed deaths. All of the bodies had been brought to the Su'ao Branch of Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The collapsed bridge caused 500 fishing vessels to be trapped inside the harbor.
The day before the bridge collapsed, the area was hit by Typhoon Mitag, and struck by a 3.8 magnitude earthquake at 13:54 in the early morning before the collapse. However, MAA Consultants are not able to determine the actual cause as the crucial broken parts of the structure have yet to be recovered.
Post collapse recovery, investigations and reactions
The oil tanker driver suffered multiple fractures, spinal, and internal injuries. He underwent emergency surgery and is currently in the intensive care unit at the Luodong Bo’ai Hospital. He is as yet unable to speak. The armed forces deployed floating platform to retrieve debris and the boats stuck under the bridge. The harbour remained sealed while the search and rescue operation was ongoing. After recovering the last body, the response teams turned their attention to clearing debris which impeded river navigation. In the morning of 3 October, fishing boats could navigate out of the harbour. President Tsai promised a full and thorough investigation of the incident and that all bridges in Taiwan would undergo inspection. The chairman of TIPC, Wu Chung-rung (吳宗榮) resigned in response to the collapse.
Aftermaths
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications stated that a new bridge will be built at the same spot within 3 years. The design and tender for the new bridge will be overseen by Public Construction Commission.
On 3 October 2019, Premier Su Tseng-chang ordered inspections of all bridges in Taiwan.
Technical specification
The bridge was a single tied-arch bridge made of steel. It had a length of 140 meters, a width of 15 meters and a passage height for vessels of 18 meters. The bridge was designed to have a life expectancy of 50 years.
Text imported from Wikipedia article "Nanfang'ao Bridge" and modified on 07 October 2019 under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.
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data sheet - Structure-ID
20078432 - Published on:
01/10/2019 - Last updated on:
01/10/2019
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