The Pingtung County Government said the project is intended to ease traffic through central Fangliao, where heavy holiday traffic, frequent traffic lights, and local congestion have long slowed vehicles moving through southern Pingtung.

Deputy Mayor Lin Chin-rong (林欽榮) said the project is intended to meet rising demand from semiconductor professionals as TSMC’s facilities in Nanzih move forward.

Residents in Fongshan District (鳳山區) are calling for a planned Kaohsiung MRT Yellow Line station to be named Cilaoye (七老爺 – Qīlǎoyé), saying the historic place name should be preserved as the line expands into the area.

Sixteen new stations are expected to open over the next 10 years, with Tainan’s underground station scheduled to be the first of them to open by the end of 2026.

The long-delayed National Freeway No. 7 project is showing new signs of movement, with parts of the 23-kilometer Kaohsiung route entering the tendering process after years of planning, environmental review, and local opposition.

The Highway Bureau said plans call for the expressway to run about 22.6 kilometers from the Zuoying High Speed Rail Station (高鐵左營站) area, passing National Freeways No. 7 and No. 10 before crossing the Kaoping River and connecting with National Freeway No. 3. The four-lane route is planned to include three system interchanges and five local ramps.

Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Wen-yi (黃文益) says the district’s street character makes it suitable for outdoor seating and night-time activity. He suggested allowing shops to place tables and chairs on sidewalks, provided pedestrian access and public safety are not affected.

The planned extension would run 26.2 kilometers south from Zuoying Station through Kaohsiung and into Liukuaicuo (六塊厝) in Pingtung. Most of the route would be built using shield tunneling, with other sections using cut-and-cover tunnels and elevated structures.

Activists said the Kaohsiung Science Park could consume about 11.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. They said that would be roughly equal to the amount of electricity used by Kaohsiung’s homes and businesses in 2025.

Aubs Takisvilainan (阿布斯), head of Kaohsiung’s Indigenous Affairs Commission, said many residents farm on the mountainside across from the bridge, growing green plums, red-fleshed plums, and high-mountain vegetables. He said the wider bridge will make it safer and easier for trucks and transport vehicles to move in and out, increasing shipping capacity and helping local industries.