By KHT Staff. Image via New Talk + AI-assisted schematic based on the planning map; not to scale.
KAOHSIUNG — A new coastal road connecting Ciaotou (橋頭) and Zuoying (左營) is expected to open along its full length by the end of October, completing a project that has taken nine years.
Known as the New Highway 17 route (新台17線), the road stretches approximately 7.3 kilometers from Dianchang Road (典昌路) in Ciaotou to the South Gate roundabout (南門圓環) in Zuoying. City estimates put the potential reduction in driving distance between the two areas at 2.6 kilometers, with a travel-time saving of about 15 minutes.
According to the Liberty Times, the city also expects the new route to divert roughly 30% to 50% of traffic from the existing Highway 17 corridor along Cuihua Road (翠華路) and Zuoying Avenue (左營大路).
The Public Works Bureau said the project comprises northern and southern sections, with a combined cost of approximately NT$3.95 billion. The northern section, from Dianchang Road to Demin Road (德民路) in Nanzih (楠梓), opened in June 2022.
Construction of the southern section was divided into three phases. Work between Demin Road and Zhonghai Road (中海路) began in October 2023. The remaining phases, extending through Bisheng Road (必勝路) to the South Gate roundabout, began progressively from December 2024.
A key step toward completing the route came on Sept. 30, when the Zuoying Naval Base’s Zhongzheng sentry post (中正哨) relocated to a new facility built with city assistance. The former post, which had served as a gateway to the base for 75 years, made way for the road corridor.
The bureau’s New Construction Office said the relocation cleared space for the final phase of the southern section. Crews are accelerating the remaining paving work, with the full route targeted to open by late October.
