Nantou Yuchi Township Route 61 Widening Connects Sun Moon Lake and Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

The Nantou County Government today held the opening ceremony for the "Yuchi Township Route 61 (1.5 to 3.82 km) Road Widening and Improvement Project and Jintian Lane Bottleneck Section Improvement Project." Nantou County Magistrate Hsu Shu-hua attended and stated that after the opening, travel between Sun Moon Lake Peacock Garden and Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village can be shortened by nearly 30 minutes, greatly optimizing tourist routes. She thanked all those who promoted the widening of this road over the years.

Hsu Shu-hua stated that Route 61 and Jintian Lane are important roads for Zhongming Village and Dalin Village, but the old road was narrow, had many curves, and was difficult for vehicles to pass. Former Yuchi Township Mayor Huang Song-hua promoted the improvement, and former Nantou County Magistrate Lin Ming-chen solved the land acquisition difficulties. The county government secured 81% of the funding from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Transportation, plus nearly 20% of self-raised matching funds, spending NT$342.63 million to widen the old road, which was less than 5 meters wide, to 8 meters.

Hsu Shu-hua said that after the road widening, it can accommodate tour buses, which is not only an improvement in transportation facilities but also implements the "Livable Nantou" political promise. In addition to facilitating local residents' commuting and agricultural product transportation, it can also closely connect Sun Moon Lake Scenic Area and Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, driving the overall economic benefits of Yuchi Township. The county government will continue to review road bottleneck sections, optimize the transportation network, and improve driving safety and traffic efficiency.

The Nantou County Government Public Works Department stated that the total length of the improvement is about 2.64 kilometers, and the road has been widened to 8 meters. The significant benefits are connecting traffic nodes and shortening travel time. Compared to bypassing Provincial Highway 21 (around the lake) for about 11 kilometers, the improved Route 61 is only about 4 kilometers, saving about 30 minutes of travel time. Moreover, after widening, Class A large passenger vehicles are allowed to pass, alleviating traffic congestion during peak tourist seasons.