Improvement of Chaishan Avenue in Kaohsiung City Resolves Blind Spots for Drivers

(Taiwan Business News) Chaishan Avenue is the main artery leading from Sizihwan to Chaishan in Kaohsiung City. Because this section lies within the Chaishan Nature Park and is adjacent to the various buildings on the campus of National Sun Yat-sen University, it is an important road for local students, tourists and people exercising. The road gradient rises and falls with the mountain terrain, and some sections are too steep, especially the sharp downhill slope in front of Gushan Elementary School (Chaishan Branch). Local residents reported that they could not see oncoming vehicles, and the terrain created blind spots for drivers and reduced the time road users had to react when passing oncoming vehicles. The Maintenance Office of the Public Works Bureau has now completed improvements to the positions along this section that affect driving sightlines.

The Maintenance Office of the Kaohsiung City Public Works Bureau pointed out that this section is about 200 m long. In addition to the excessive changes in road gradient, the road surface was also old and cracked. To improve driving safety for the public, the improvement of the road gradient has been completed. Because the local hillside has landslide potential, and to avoid large-scale cutting and filling of the roadbed that would affect slope stability, the focus was placed on improving driving sightlines. Based on the existing gradient, the elevation was moderately adjusted: the road surface elevation at both ends of the section was lowered by about 40 cm, the road surface at the low concave middle portion was partially raised, and asphalt concrete with an average thickness of 10 to 20 cm was laid and reflective markings were repainted. The work was completed on March 31.

The Maintenance Office further stated that after the construction on this section was completed, in addition to improving the road gradient and increasing driving comfort, it also provides good driving sightlines for two-way vehicle traffic and increases the reaction time for road users when passing oncoming vehicles, thereby enhancing road driving safety.