For anyone thinking of driving down south fron Taipei (or going north to Taipei - though can’t think why you would want to do that) this weekend along the east coast - forget it. The Su Hwa highway (no. 9) is closed (for at least a week) due to part of the road collapsing and falling down into the sea way below. Luckily, as far as i am aware, no one was injured. The collapse occured at the 115.8 km mark, which is between Su-Ao and Dong Ao and quite close to where the two buses went off the cliff last year during torrential rainfall from a passing typhoon. In this case though, it wasn’t even raining, certainly not heavily, which is a bit disturbing. I do wonder if it was in fact a repaired section from that event last year that gave out.
There is a government website on road closures for Taiwan, but there is no mention of this particular road (the only road between Taipei and Hualien) being closed. Perhaps someone knows of a different site with more complete information in English - it would be handy to know as i use this road often.
Although i am a bit ambivalent about plans for a freeway being built directly to Hualien, i do wonder about the viability of the road as it is. It’s basically a deathtrap during heavy rain and pretty dangerous at the best of times with its combination of slow climbing heavily loaded trucks, tourist bus convoys, and then people trying to overtake these vehicles on a winding cliff road with no overtaking lanes.
Thanks for the information. 
That’s right by the little temple. Yeah, it’s a very unstable part of the highway. Lots of shoring-up work needs to be done there.
I think a lot of these areas are going to be bypassed with tunnels. They’ll probably leave the dangerous sections open for cyclists. 
So is the free way going ahead or is the plan just to improve the road with a few tunnels? Like i said, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, the road as it is is pretty dangerous for what is basically a major arterial road - on the other, it does present a natural barrier to the hordes, though that is really just a selfish argument, i suppose. I have heard that there is opposition from environmentalist to the construction of a tunnel style freeway, though i don’t know what their concerns are exactly - i would have thought a tunnel would have a minimum impact on the environment - or is the concern about the pressure that would be put on the environment down south once there is easy access to it?
Believe the road is open again, though with delays.
The situation on the Su Hwa right now is that it is only open to traffic during certain 2 hour periods as follows:
5.30am-7.30am
11am-1pm
5.30pm-7.30pm
STOP PRESS: Road is now open again 24/7
Info: 039 982 161
(if you call this number the guy now yells before you can even say anything, "Don’t Ask! It’s open!’)
Was driving back from Taipei on Sunday night, Jan 8, 2012, but when i got to Su Ao i discovered that the road was closed again due to a serious landslide around the 116km mark (site of one of the major repairs) that had happened that day (around 12 noon). We were eventually allowed to go through around midnight, though i heard it was closed again after that.
You would be well advised to check the tel no above before heading off.
Just pack lunch, diner, breakfast and a sleeping bag, water … and pray it’s not closed when driving down south along the east coast … 
And if it’s not closed, then pray that you dont’ get swept over the edge of the cliff by a landslide! Should be a very religious trip.
Unpredicted torrential downpour on Sat afternoon (May 12) has closed the Su hwa highway again. Bit of a disappointing ‘non-get’ by CWB. 500+ ml fell from Nanao to Suao - that’s a serious typhoon level of rain (though it wasn’t a typhoon). Was on that road when it began and was lucky to get through before it really hit and it was closed - parts of the road were already turning into rivers and tyre-killing rocks were littering the road.
Word this morning when i contacted the info no. was that it was closed today (sun, may 13) around Suao and they would assess it again tomorrow. As such was forced to take the west coast route back - which was interesting as a setting for a kind of apocalyptic wasteland movie at least, especially around Taijhong - wow, talk about an industrial park - you glide above it on the freeway and it stretches as far as you can see across the plains - and those power pylons are amazing - there’s a weird almost artistic look to it. The sheer amount of them - i have never seen anything like it - couldn’t stop singing ‘power to the people’ in the car.
[quote=“dulan drift”]Unpredicted torrential downpour on Sat afternoon (May 12) has closed the Su hwa highway again. Bit of a disappointing ‘non-get’ by CWB. 500+ ml fell from Nanao to Suao - that’s a serious typhoon level of rain (though it wasn’t a typhoon). Was on that road when it began and was lucky to get through before it really hit and it was closed - parts of the road were already turning into rivers and tyre-killing rocks were littering the road.
Word this morning when i contacted the info no. was that it was closed today (sun, may 13) around Suao and they would assess it again tomorrow. As such was forced to take the west coast route back - which was interesting as a setting for a kind of apocalyptic wasteland movie at least, especially around Taizhong - wow, talk about an industrial park - you glide above it on the freeway and it stretches as far as you can see across the plains - and those power pylons are amazing - there’s a weird almost artistic look to it. The sheer amount of them - I have never seen anything like it - couldn’t stop singing ‘power to the people’ in the car.[/quote]
It is distopian on the west.
That’s the word, exactly. It’s like being in Blade Runner.
The other strange thing about that freeway (no.3) is that from Taipei, there is no sign even mentioning Kaohsiung until you see one saying ‘Kaohsiung exit 1000m’. It’s the same for every major city off that freeway - you would hardly know they exist from the signs for them.
And in case anyone sees a sign saying ‘Kanting Next Exit’ right near the end of the freeway and wonders if it’s a mis-spelling of Kenting, and is thinking ‘shit, is this where i have to get off if i want go to Kenting?’, it’s not.
That’s the word, exactly. It’s like being in Blade Runner.
The other strange thing about that freeway (no.3) is that from Taipei, there is no sign even mentioning Kaohsiung until you see one saying ‘Kaohsiung exit 1000m’. It’s the same for every major city off that freeway - you would hardly know they exist from the signs for them.
And in case anyone sees a sign saying ‘Kanting Next Exit’ right near the end of the freeway and wonders if it’s a mis-spelling of Kending, and is thinking ‘shit, is this where I have to get off if I want go to Kending?’, it’s not.[/quote]
Hah, you remind me of a drive down that highway years ago when I was not too familiar with the conventions. Yep, at times I wondered if I was even on the right highway as all I saw were signs for other roads, and big signs that looked like they were telling me the road I was on but were in fact just advanced posts.
I also remember getting fucked up by the exit signs after a rest area. I needed to go north and at the last second when the road split north and south the sign was to Nantou (Chinese only) so I of course took the exit not going “Nan” though in fact Nantou was north of where I was. That was a long detour. 
Yeah, it can bea bit confusing if you don’t know the characters as there is a Kanting (崁頂) Village in Pingtung and the freeway turn off is not too far from the end of the #3 which takes you to Kenting (墾丁). 
Su Hwa Rd update: Latest word is that the road will be closed for 10 days (until May 24) - though as we are starting mei yu that could end up being longer.
FAK. Working up through Lishan and then down through the gorge is not my idea of a fun trip.
I was thinking of driving up along the Su-Hwa this very weekend. First time in 18 months, so my timing sucks.
Is that a definite 24-May re-open, or a “24-May but it could be any time”?
Seriously? That is exactly my idea of a great trip.