Taichung-Puli, Highway #6 is now open! Yeah!

We’ve all been waiting for that one to open for quite a while…
No need to travel the busy, dangerous - and ugly - highway #14 anymore
to get to Sun Moon Lake and Hehuan Mountain (and Taroko) from Taichung.

Here’s how to get to it…

[ul]take highway #3 from Taichung (south),[/ul]
[ul]drive past Caotun,[/ul]
[ul]take highway #6, towards Puli (east)[/ul]

It will considerably cut travel time, and the views are very nice as the highway
is high above the ground and goes through the mountains of Nantou County.

Happy Travels!

Ugo

Thanks for the info - I live in Puli, and I had no idea it was finally open :idunno:

Would Sun Moon lake be more packed than usual?

I was at both Sun Moon Lake and Hehuanshan over the weekend, and they both seemed busier than usual, but I wrote that off to a combination of the holiday weekend and half centimeter of snowfall, so I can’t say for sure that the road opening had much to do with the increase in visitors.

I don’t think 30 minutes (maximum) off the journey time is going to make much difference in anyone’s decision on whether to go to SML or not. They sure as hell don’t need the freeway for all the mainland tourists who are (not) coming in droves. :laughing:
The only time the old 14 gets really busy is over CNY or any weekend in winter when there’s snowfall up on Hohuanshan. The other 350 days a year the freeway will be obvious for what it is, a pork-barrel project. Nice to have for sure, but necessary? Not in my opinion.

Mr. He,

Unfortunately, it’s inevitable it’ll become busier. Take Ilan for example, since they have the tunnel…

I know lots of people who didn’t want to go to Sun Moon Lake or Hehuan Shan simply because
they were scared of driving Hwy #14. I think there will be a real buzz about #6 in the next couple
of months… it really is a scenic road!

Ugo

I have been on HWY 14 a few times, I did not find it very tough to drive, there are worse roads in Taiwan.

I don’t think 30 minutes (maximum) off the journey time is going to make much difference in anyone’s decision on whether to go to SML or not. They sure as hell don’t need the freeway for all the mainland tourists who are (not) coming in droves. :laughing:
The only time the old 14 gets really busy is over CNY or any weekend in winter when there’s snowfall up on Hohuanshan (Hehuanshan). The other 350 days a year the freeway will be obvious for what it is, a pork-barrel project. Nice to have for sure, but necessary? Not in my opinion.[/quote]

Almost every single time I drove the highway #14 it was jammed and moving at a crawl, so I think you’re way out of line with this statement. Man that is some ugly road (the old one). Even though the environmental soundness of a new highway is questionable it is worthwhile for pure tourism/economic/convenience reasons. I’d say it will make a huge difference to travelling to Sun Moon Lake but what will inevitably happen are jams along the last part going into the lake area.

[quote=“headhonchoII”]
Almost every single time I drove the highway #14 it was jammed and moving at a crawl, so I think you’re way out of line with this statement. Man that is some ugly road (the old one). Even though the environmental soundness of a new highway is questionable it is worthwhile for pure tourism/economic/convenience reasons. I’d say it will make a huge difference to travelling to Sun Moon Lake but what will inevitably happen are jams along the last part going into the lake area.[/quote]
Well, there were many years I drove out there every Saturday and Sunday in the dry season. My experience is that if you know which times to avoid you are in Puli in 45 minutes from Taichung. Note that the freeway doesn’t go to SML, it drops you off at the northeast end of Puli. It’s still a ways to SML and that road is unchanged.

It’s been a pleasure the last few months traveling the bit that has been open for some time - being able to skirt past the disappointment that is Puli.

Great that it is open the full way now, no 14 has always been a bit tedious and scruffy. My concern is not having good visual access to the fine nut vendors near where we used to get on/off freeway 3…if you know what I mean.

The Family Mart at the very end has invested proper money in beautiful washrooms.

[quote=“Volviic”]Great that it is open the full way now…[/quote]Is it? My friend was down there this weekend and he said only a bit of it is open.

good to know it’s open…and I can just imagine the cluster-fuck of traffic that will ensue on that road and Hehuan on CNY this year.

I drove it last night… Only about 5km is open from Caotun to highway 3. Probably shaves off a couple minutes, but nothing to get excited about yet.

Really!!

Well I have to make a HUGE apology to everyone if I mislead you on this news.

I knew it was open for the Guoxing-Puli section, and…
two weeks ago, I saw it was open from HWY 3 and assumed It was going all the way to Puli!

Sorry again guys…

Ugo

Thanks Filfoto.

Highway #6 isn’t fully opened yet…It’s open for a 5km section that allows one to bypass Puli town…from then on, it’s 14 all the way back to the #3 highway…I took the #136 back to Taichung so I didn’t see if there’s another section that is open…It looks like the whole highway is built and ready for use, but local government is probably waiting for Ma Ying-Jeou to swing by to cut the ribbon to open it up officially…

Maybe they will open it the first day of the new year? Taiwanese like ceremonies.

Hwy # 14 from Taichung to Puli is a piece of cake compared to #14 from Puli to Hehuanshan … unless the former has washouts, landslides, unmarked single lanes, etc., which it usually does and makes it a near death experience on a rainy night.

Wait, this may get confusing unless you look at the posting dates. Although I haven’t driven it yet, but being a ‘Pulian’ I can assure that Highway 6 from Puli to Taichung (H3) opened on March 21. I get to drive it tomorrow and I can’t wait. Costco is getting closer all the time!!

Ok, now that is one sweet ride from Puli to Taichung or vice versa. Only 25km from the H3/H6 interchange in Taichung to Puli. Nearly 5km of that is tunnel. Speed limit is ONLY 90 clicks!! Watch out!! No less than 4 police cars with radar guns trying to catch the lead foots. Otherwise, a great, fast drive!