By Eryk Michael Smith / Staff – Images via 高雄好過日 FB page.
KAOHSIUNG — Plans for the Pingtung South Expressway (屏南快速公路) have reportedly advanced to the comprehensive planning and environmental impact assessment stage, following approval of its feasibility study by the Executive Yuan last year.
The proposed expressway would extend from the Zhutian (竹田) interchange of Freeway 88 (台88線) in Pingtung County to Route 26 (台26線) near Checheng Township, just north of Hengchun (恆春).
Design speeds are set at 100 kilometers per hour in flat areas and 90 kilometers per hour in hilly sections. Eight interchanges are planned, located at Zhutian, Chaozhou (潮州), Xinpi (新埤), Fangliao (枋寮), Fangshan (枋山), Shizi (獅子), Haikou (海口), and Checheng. Total project costs are estimated at more than NT$174 billion.
If approvals proceed smoothly, the project timeline anticipates about two years for detailed design and land acquisition, followed by five years of construction. Under this, perhaps a tad too optimistic schedule, construction could begin around 2027, with completion and opening to traffic by approximately 2031.
Once completed, under ideal traffic conditions, travel time from Kaohsiung to Hengchun could take about one hour. Under more typical conditions, transportation authorities estimate a reduction of 20 to 30 minutes in travel time compared with current travel times, while also easing holiday congestion on Routes 1 (台1線) and 17 (台17線).
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (交通部) and the Pingtung County Government (屏東縣政府) have agreed on a phased construction approach, with the most congested section between Fangliao and the Fenggang River prioritized for early development by the Directorate General of Highways (公路局).
The advancement of the expressway has raised questions about the future of the Pingtung South Tourism Railway (屏南觀光鐵道). That project, first launched in 2018, remains in the feasibility study stage and has yet to receive formal approval. Progress on the rail line has been slower than that of the expressway.
The proposed railway would run approximately 39 kilometers from Neishi Station (內獅站) on the South Link Line to Hengchun Station, closer to the town center than the expressway terminus. Plans call for a single-track, electrified line with six stations.
According to planning documents, sections of the expressway between Fangliao and Checheng would reserve space for a future rail corridor, allowing for coordination between road and rail infrastructure.
Transportation officials say improved access to Hengchun and Kenting (墾丁) is expected to increase visitor volumes, while enhanced connectivity could also support development along coastal areas that lie outside national park boundaries.
