Taipei Sky Corridor Across Civic Boulevard, Connecting Linear Park, Aims for 2029 Completion

(CNA, by Yang Shu-min, Taipei, May 20) The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) stated today that the supplementary budget for the elevated sky corridor project across Civic Boulevard to connect the linear park has been increased to over NT$1.1 billion and was approved by the city council on the 13th. The project is currently undergoing a re-tendering process, with a public notice expected by the end of May, construction to start by the end of the year, and completion aimed for before the end of 2029. In a press release, TRTC explained that the project was commissioned by the New Construction Office of the Taipei City Government's Public Works Department. It is designed to create a sky corridor system across Civic Boulevard to connect with the linear park, in coordination with the West District Gateway Project and the Taipei Corridor East Extension Plan. Regarding the budget, TRTC said the original total project budget was over NT$500 million. In 2023, following city government policy, the Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport Taipei Station site was included in the overall plan, and the budget was adjusted to over NT$800 million. TRTC noted that the construction site is located above the tunnels of the MRT, Taiwan Railways (TRA), and Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR). To avoid impacting existing structures, and due to the complex overall design, high construction difficulty, and long construction period, coupled with the currently unfavorable public works market and a sharp rise in labor and material costs, the budget was increased to over NT$1.1 billion. This was approved by the Taipei City Council on the 13th. TRTC stated that the re-tendering process is underway, with the project now available for public review. The tender is expected to be announced by the end of May, with construction starting before the end of the year, aiming for completion before the end of 2029. Regarding the engineering details, TRTC said the section crossing Civic Boulevard will have a span of about 45 meters and a vertical clearance of 4.6 meters. Other sections will be about 4 meters high. The sky corridor level will have a maximum width of about 12 meters and will include accessible facilities such as elevators, escalators, and barrier-free passages. Furthermore, TRTC said this case is part of the overall sky corridor system of the West District Gateway Project. It will connect to the TRA Taipei Station, link with the linear park, and extend all the way to the sky corridor of the Taipei Twin Towers, forming a user-friendly elevated corridor system similar to that in the Xinyi Planning District. It will serve people from out of town unfamiliar with the underground routes, as well as commuters and tourists transferring between the Airport MRT, HSR, TRA, and MRT, thereby shaping the entire West District Gateway image and realizing a human-centric, three-dimensional connectivity system for the region. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang)