Freeway 3 (Taiwan)

Freeway 3
Formosa Freeway
Route information
Maintained by Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau
Length: 430.5 km (267.5 mi)
Existed: January 19th, 1993 – present
Location
Counties: Keelung, New Taipei, Taipei,
Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Changhua,
Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung
Highway system

Highway system in Taiwan

← Fwy. 2Fwy. 4 →
Freeway 3

Freeway No. 3 (Chinese: 國道三號), also known as Formosa Freeway, is the second North-South freeway in Taiwan. It begins in Keelung City at Jijin Interchange on the Provincial Highway No. 2 (Jijin Road) and ends in Linbian, Pingtung on the Provincial Highway No. 17.

The total length of the highway is 430.5 km (267.5 mi), with 55 interchanges, 13 junctions, 11 toll stations, and 7 service areas en route. Aside from the 55 public interchanges, there are also some interchanges reserved for governmental usage.

Naming

Freeways in Taiwan are officially coded "Freeways" with their respective numbers. By this principle, Freeway No. 3 is coded Freeway No. 3 (國道三號) in official documents or on road signs. Besides the numeric name, on 1 November 2004 it was named the Formosa Freeway (福爾摩沙高速公路) in a naming competition; however, its old alias Second Freeway (第二高速公路 or 北二高) is more popular among the road users.

Form

This freeway is actually a bypass form. It was mostly routed through suburban and rural areas of Western Taiwan. Various expressways and east-west freeways link Freeway 3 with urban areas typically served by Freeway 1. The purpose of this freeway is to inspire the economic activities in the rural area.

Passing through (under development, Stage 1 below)

The freeway passes through the places below.

History

The original plan was only intended to build a second freeway between Taipei and Hsinchu. The construction began in 1987. Tucheng IC - Sanying IC was opened in January 1993, followed by Zhonghe IC to Hsinchu SIC in August 1993. Extension from Hsinchu SIC to Xiangshan IC was finished in February 1996. In March 1996, Xizhi SIC - Muzha IC was opened. The final phrase of the north section was Muzha IC. - Zhonghe IC, which was completed in August 1997. The extension between Xizhi SIC and Jijin IC completed in August 2000.

The construction of the freeway south of Hsinchu City began in 1993. In February 2000, Xinhua JCT. - Jiuru IC. was open for the traffic. It was followed by Douliu IC - Xinhua JCT. In November 2001, Xiangshan IC. - Zhunan IC in December 2001, Zhunan IC - Houlong IC in May 2002, Caotun IC - Douliu IC in June 2002, Zhonggang SIC - Longjing IC in October 2002, and Houlong IC - Zhonggang JCT., Kuaiguan IC - Caotun IC in January 2003. The entire project was completed in January 2004 when Longjing IC - Kuaiguan IC was opened.

2010 landslide

On April 25, 2010, a landslide occurred on a segment of Highway 3 near Xizhi. A large amount of dirt buried both directions of the freeway. Four cars were buried under the debris, killing four people.[1] Bad hillside anchoring was blamed as a possible cause, as it had not been raining at the time of the collapse, and an earthquake was not registered.

Repairs to the freeway were completed on June 19, 2010 and normal traffic flow restored.[2]

Major cities that have exit along the route

Muzha IC and Maokong Gondola in Taipei.

Intersections with other freeways and expressways

Lanes

The lanes in each direction are listed below.

Spur routes

Taipei City - Freeway No. 3A

See also

References

  1. ↑ 北二高走山 4人罹難 (in Chinese). Central News Agency. 2010-04-28.
  2. ↑ 國道3號3.1公里崩塌路段6月19日12時恢復主線雙向3車道通行 (in Chinese). Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau. 2010-06-18.

Coordinates: 24°5′50″N 120°36′0″E / 24.09722°N 120.60000°E