Taiwan approves $18.5 billion project to connect Highway 86 to Freeway 3, easing Guanhiao congestion

A significant infrastructure project aimed at easing traffic congestion has received approval. The Executive Yuan has greenlit the "Provincial Highway 86 System Connection to National Freeway No. 3 Project" (台86線跨越台19甲線系統銜接國道3號工程), proposed by the Directorate-General of Highways under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

The project, with a total budget of 18.496 billion NTD, is designed to address the long-standing traffic bottlenecks at the Guanhiao Interchange on National Freeway No. 3. Currently, the intersection of Provincial Highway 86 and Provincial Highway 19A is a major source of delays due to traffic light waits and insufficient lane storage, causing significant backups onto both freeways.

The plan involves extending Provincial Highway 86 with an elevated bridge structure to cross Provincial Highway 19A and connect to National Freeway No. 3 via a system interchange. An additional connection will be made to the eastern Xinpu 2nd Road (新埔二街72巷). The Guanhiao Interchange modification alone accounts for 8.351 billion NTD, funded by the National Freeway Construction and Management Fund. The remaining 10.145 billion NTD for the elevated main line and improvement works will be covered under the "Provincial Highway Rapid Transit Improvement Plan."

Environmental impact assessments for the project were approved in April of last year. With the Executive Yuan's approval, the Directorate-General of Highways will expedite design, land acquisition, and preparatory construction work. The project is slated for completion in seven years, after which it is expected to significantly improve travel efficiency in the Guanhiao area and enhance accessibility for surrounding industrial parks.