Taipei Bridge
Encyclopedia
Taipei Bridge is a motor-vehicle bridge across the Tamsui River connecting Taipei
with Sanchong District, New Taipei City in Taiwan
.
A central span carries automobile and some motorcycle traffic while narrower spans on either side carry most motorcycle traffic along with bicycle pedestrian traffic. The central bridge is 481.6 meters in length.
, Liu Mingchuan
. The bridge, known as the Tamsui Wood Bridge (淡水木橋 Dànshuǐ Mùqiáo; Tām-súi-bo̍k-kiô), was a 1498-chi wooden structure designed to carry only rail traffic and was part of a larger Keelung
to Hsinchu
railroad. Foot and horse traffic could also cross on paths on either side of the rail. However, the bridge's wood pilings required frequent repair due to periodic flooding and an August 1897 typhoon seriously damaged the bridge. The Governor-General of Taiwan
's office of the Japanese
, which had taken control of Taiwan from the Qing, decided to reroute the railway to the south through Pankio (Banqiao). In 1899, the railway was removed and the bridge was renovated for other vehicular access.
The bridge was an important connection between the commercial entrepôts
of Dalongdong
and Dadaocheng
(now part of Taipei) and the largely undeveloped area that would become Sanchong. A market at the foot of the bridge on the Taipei side of the river that would become the Yanping North Road Night Market was formerly called the Taipei Bridge Night Market (大橋夜市 Dàqiáo Yèshì; 大橋夜市仔 Tōa-kiô Iā-chhī-á). As the Taipei City Market Administration Office notes, "many stalls that served authentic snack
s from the old days are still serving the same snack nowadays, making this night market the most favorable night market
for customers who are seeking snacks with authentic flavors passed down from generations."
The bridge became a critical link for people and trade between Taipei and areas to the south and west. It played a role in the rapid growth of Sanchong's population as migrants flooding north to Taipei used the city as a first stop before gaining the means to move to Taipei itself.
The bridge was also an important scenic landmark and the "Iron Bridge sunset" (鐵橋夕照 Tiěqiáo xīzhào; Thih-kiô se̍k-chiàu) was considered one of the eight scenic highlights of Taipei. The bridge gave its name to the Ōhashichō (大橋町) ward of Japanese Taipei and the famous Taipei Bridge Public School (大橋公學校 Ōhashi Kōgakkō), today Daqiao Elementary School (大橋國民小學 Dàqiáo Guómín Xiǎoxué; Tōa-kiô Kok-bîn Sió-ha̍k). The famous Taipei Bridge Theater (大橋戲院 Dàqiáo Xìyuàn Tōa-kiô Hì-īⁿ) was located under this bridge at Yánpíng Road until construction began on a new bridge in 1966.
until the early 1990s when the tolls on all Danshui bridges removed. Manned guard posts
remained on the bridge until its replacement in the mid-1990s.
The approaches to the bridge are significantly narrower than the bridge as it crosses the river due to heavy urban development on all sides. On the Taipei side, approaches to the bridge from Mínquán Road begin at Dàlóng Street before Chóngqìng Road. These are joined by an additional center approach from west of Chóngqìng Road. The approaches for the cycle bridges are west of Yánpíng Road. On the Sanchong side, the bridges begin at the intersection of Chóngxīn Road with Fúdé Road and are joined by ramps from the elevated Huánhé Expressway that passes above Taipei Bridge.
The bridge formerly carried Provincial Highway No. 1
and now carries Provincial Highway No. 1A (1甲), the former having been rerouted to Zhongxiao Bridge.
's Orange Line
which passes under the river parallel to Taipei Bridge, Taipei Bridge Station
in Sanchong and Daqiaotou Station in Taipei are named for the bridge.
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
with Sanchong District, New Taipei City in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
A central span carries automobile and some motorcycle traffic while narrower spans on either side carry most motorcycle traffic along with bicycle pedestrian traffic. The central bridge is 481.6 meters in length.
1889 bridge
Taipei Bridge crosses the Tamsui River at its most narrow point. The first bridge at the current location of Taipei Bridge was begun in 1887 and completed in 1889 at the behest of the Qing Empire Governor-General of TaiwanGovernor-General of Taiwan
The position of Governor-General of Taiwan existed when Taiwan and the Pescadores were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945.The Japanese Governors-General were members of the Diet, civilian officials, Japanese nobles or generals...
, Liu Mingchuan
Liu Mingchuan
Liu Mingchuan was a Chinese official during the Qing dynasty. He adopted a style name of Xingsan . Liu became involved in the suppression of the Taiping rebellion at an early age, and worked closely with Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang as he emerged as an important Huai Army officer...
. The bridge, known as the Tamsui Wood Bridge (淡水木橋 Dànshuǐ Mùqiáo; Tām-súi-bo̍k-kiô), was a 1498-chi wooden structure designed to carry only rail traffic and was part of a larger Keelung
Keelung
Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...
to Hsinchu
Hsinchu
Hsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
railroad. Foot and horse traffic could also cross on paths on either side of the rail. However, the bridge's wood pilings required frequent repair due to periodic flooding and an August 1897 typhoon seriously damaged the bridge. The Governor-General of Taiwan
Governor-General of Taiwan
The position of Governor-General of Taiwan existed when Taiwan and the Pescadores were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945.The Japanese Governors-General were members of the Diet, civilian officials, Japanese nobles or generals...
's office of the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, which had taken control of Taiwan from the Qing, decided to reroute the railway to the south through Pankio (Banqiao). In 1899, the railway was removed and the bridge was renovated for other vehicular access.
The bridge was an important connection between the commercial entrepôts
Entrepôt
An entrepôt is a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. This profit is possible because of trade conditions, for example, the reluctance of ships to travel the entire length of a long trading route, and selling to the entrepôt...
of Dalongdong
Dalongdong
Dalongdong , or pourompon is an old village in historical Taipei located nears the narrows of the intersection between the Keelung and Tamsui Rivers...
and Dadaocheng
Dadaocheng
Dadaocheng , spelled Twatutia before Japanese rule, is an area in the Datong District, part of the Taipei Basin and a historic section of Taipei City. It was known as Daitotei by the Japanese and Tataocheng during the Kuomintang era...
(now part of Taipei) and the largely undeveloped area that would become Sanchong. A market at the foot of the bridge on the Taipei side of the river that would become the Yanping North Road Night Market was formerly called the Taipei Bridge Night Market (大橋夜市 Dàqiáo Yèshì; 大橋夜市仔 Tōa-kiô Iā-chhī-á). As the Taipei City Market Administration Office notes, "many stalls that served authentic snack
Xiaochi
Xiaochi are an important category of Chinese food, substantial snacks along the lines of Spanish tapas or Levantine meze.Xiaochi are not typically cooked in homes nor are they featured prominently on the menus of more formal reaturants...
s from the old days are still serving the same snack nowadays, making this night market the most favorable night market
Night market
Night markets or night bazaars are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets.-Geographical spread:...
for customers who are seeking snacks with authentic flavors passed down from generations."
1925 bridge
In September 1921, it was decided to replace the aging wood structure with one more suitable for modern vehicular traffic and, on 18 June 1925, the 30th anniversary of Japanese rule in Taiwan, a steel and concrete bridge that could be opened to allow the passage of larger boats on the Tamsui was completed. This was the first bridge to be called Taipei Bridge and was also nicknamed the "Seven-Pillar Iron Bridge" (七格鐵橋 Qī Gé Tiěqiáo; Chhit Keh Thih-kiô).The bridge became a critical link for people and trade between Taipei and areas to the south and west. It played a role in the rapid growth of Sanchong's population as migrants flooding north to Taipei used the city as a first stop before gaining the means to move to Taipei itself.
The bridge was also an important scenic landmark and the "Iron Bridge sunset" (鐵橋夕照 Tiěqiáo xīzhào; Thih-kiô se̍k-chiàu) was considered one of the eight scenic highlights of Taipei. The bridge gave its name to the Ōhashichō (大橋町) ward of Japanese Taipei and the famous Taipei Bridge Public School (大橋公學校 Ōhashi Kōgakkō), today Daqiao Elementary School (大橋國民小學 Dàqiáo Guómín Xiǎoxué; Tōa-kiô Kok-bîn Sió-ha̍k). The famous Taipei Bridge Theater (大橋戲院 Dàqiáo Xìyuàn Tōa-kiô Hì-īⁿ) was located under this bridge at Yánpíng Road until construction began on a new bridge in 1966.
1969 bridge
This concrete bridge was opened on 15 November 1969 and allowed for four lanes of automobile traffic and its approaches were extended. This Taipei Bridge was tolledToll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
until the early 1990s when the tolls on all Danshui bridges removed. Manned guard posts
Guardhouse
A guardhouse is a building used to house personnel and security equipment...
remained on the bridge until its replacement in the mid-1990s.
Current structure
The bridge was proposed in 1991 and, on 16 July 1996, it was opened to traffic. The main (central) bridge carries six lanes of automobile traffic and two lanes of motorcycle and bicycle traffic as it crosses the river. Two adjacent two-lane bridges carry motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic only.These adjacent bridges were completed before the main structure and carried all traffic while the 1969 bridge was demolished and the new bridge was constructed.The approaches to the bridge are significantly narrower than the bridge as it crosses the river due to heavy urban development on all sides. On the Taipei side, approaches to the bridge from Mínquán Road begin at Dàlóng Street before Chóngqìng Road. These are joined by an additional center approach from west of Chóngqìng Road. The approaches for the cycle bridges are west of Yánpíng Road. On the Sanchong side, the bridges begin at the intersection of Chóngxīn Road with Fúdé Road and are joined by ramps from the elevated Huánhé Expressway that passes above Taipei Bridge.
The bridge formerly carried Provincial Highway No. 1
Provincial Highway No. 1 (Taiwan)
Provincial Highway No. 1 is a 464.693 km-long provincial Taiwanese highway that starts in the north of the country near Taipei Main Station and ends in the south at Fangshan, Pingtung County. It intersects with Provincial Highway No. 9 and No. 26. Before the freeway system is built in Taiwan,...
and now carries Provincial Highway No. 1A (1甲), the former having been rerouted to Zhongxiao Bridge.
Related transportation
On the Taipei Rapid Transit SystemTaipei Rapid Transit System
The Taipei Metro, more commonly known as the MRT or formally as the Taipei Rapid Transit System, is a rapid transit system serving metropolitan Taipei in Taiwan. The system is built and operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation and consists of 89 stations and of revenue track...
's Orange Line
Orange Line (TRTS)
The Orange Line consists of three lines of the Taipei Metro in Taiwan : the Zhonghe Line , the Xinzhuang Line, and the Luzhou Line . As of July 2011, two segments of the Xinzhuang Line are still under construction and are expected to completely open by 2014...
which passes under the river parallel to Taipei Bridge, Taipei Bridge Station
Taipei Bridge Station
The Taipei Metro Taipei Bridge Station is a planned station on the Xinzhuang Line located in Sanchong District, New Taipei, Taiwan, two blocks from the approach to Taipei Bridge for which the station is named. The station is scheduled to open in March 2012....
in Sanchong and Daqiaotou Station in Taipei are named for the bridge.
External links
- Taipei Bridge WikimapiaWikimapiaWikiMapia is a privately owned, online map and satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki system, allowing users to add information, in the form of a note, to any location on Earth. Users may currently use this information for free...
link