Yilan City Road Collapses for 80 Meters Due to Detached Sewage Pipe

A significant portion of Jianlan North Road in Yilan City, Taiwan, has collapsed, creating an 80-meter-long sinkhole that has forced authorities to close the road. The primary cause identified is a detached sewage pipe located approximately 9 meters beneath the surface.

According to Li Yueru, Director of the Water Resources Department of Yilan County, the detached pipe has allowed water to continuously erode the soil beneath the roadbed over time. This prolonged erosion weakened the foundation, ultimately leading to the road's collapse. The sinkhole measures up to 70 centimeters deep in places.

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The main cause of the collapse was a sewage pipe about 9 meters deep below the road surface that detached, causing the foundation soil to be eroded by water flow over a long period, ultimately leading to insufficient support for the road surface and subsidence.

Emergency repair work is currently underway. The Water Resources Department has prioritized ground improvement measures to ensure stability, especially in anticipation of potential heavy rainfall. The repair project is expected to be completed and the road fully reopened to traffic by next Tuesday. Officials also plan to conduct a comprehensive review of older sewage pipelines across the county for eventual replacement.

Local officials, including Yilan County Council Speaker Zhang Shengde and Nanjin Village Chief Lin Congming, visited the site to assess the situation. Residents living near the affected area expressed concerns about the potential impact on their homes' structural integrity and daily access. The collapse was reportedly discovered by a local resident, with speculation that a bus passing over the weakened ground early in the morning may have triggered the final collapse.

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Given the possibility of heavy rain recently, the Water Resources Department has prioritized ground improvement for the subsided section today. Even if heavy rain occurs, it will not pose a danger to the road surface.