Officials say the plan was expected to receive final approval by the end of July, with the central government approving NT$12 million in funding, including more than NT$9 million in subsidies.

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.

Motorcyclists are calling on Kaohsiung officials to change traffic rules at the Y-shaped intersection of Jhongjheng 1st Road (中正一路) and Sanduo 1st Road (三多一路) near Weiwuying (衛武營), saying the current two-stage turn requirement is inefficient and creates safety conflicts.

Police said driving while fatigued is believed to be the main cause of the crash, but a city inspection also pointed to a familiar mix of illegal scooter parking, limited pedestrian space, and road design problems around the site.

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.

The Liberty Times reports that Kaohsiung has 68 road sections or intersections equipped with automated traffic enforcement systems. From January to March, the Jhongjheng 1st Road location recorded 1,883 violations, the highest in the city.

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.