By RK Shih/Staff
KAOHSIUNG — The Executive Yuan has approved the feasibility study for extending Provincial Highway 61, also known as the West Coast Expressway, south from Cigu (七股) in Tainan to Kaohsiung, a long-discussed project aimed at easing pressure on the chronically congested southern stretch of National Freeway 1.
The proposed extension would run about 48 kilometers and is currently planned as a four-lane route, with two lanes in each direction. If the project clears its next stages, including detailed planning and environmental review, construction could begin as early as 2031.
According to the preliminary plan, the Tainan section would include interchanges at Taijiang, Sihcao (四草), and Cingshuei Road, as well as an Xishu System Interchange (喜樹系統交流道) connecting with Provincial Highway 86. In Kaohsiung, proposed interchanges would be built at Jhengshun North, Yongan (永安), Mituo (彌陀), and Nanhai Road, where the route would connect to Provincial Highway 17 in Nanzih (楠梓).
The project is important for many in both Tainan and Kaohsiung, as traffic on National Freeway 1 continues to worsen. A diversion plan similar to the “stacked on top” Wuyang Elevated Highway in northern Taiwan has reportedly been evaluated for the Tainan-Kaohsiung corridor but deemed unworkable, leaving the Route 61 extension as one of the main long-term alternatives for traffic relief.
Officials are also trying to balance transport needs with environmental and land-use concerns. The alignment must avoid ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands and protected zones while also limiting demolition and disruption to nearby communities.
One major section near Anping in Tainan remains unresolved. Competing options include a cross-harbor route passing near Yuguang Island (漁光島) and another alignment that would skirt Anping Commercial Port. That decision is expected to be taken up during the next phase of comprehensive planning. The project remains in the very early stages, and southern drivers still face a long wait before any new bypass to Kaohsiung becomes a reality.
