By KHT Staff. Images via KH City Public Works Bureau 高雄市政府工務局.
KAOHSIUNG — A section of Chaishan Road in Gushan District reopened to cars Sept. 12 after remaining closed for more than two weeks because of slope movement caused by heavy rain.
The affected section of Chaishan Road (柴山大路), near the College of Liberal Arts at National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學), shifted across approximately 50 meters during consecutive periods of heavy rain in August.
The Kaohsiung City Government’s Road Maintenance Office (道路養護工程處) closed the road Aug. 26 after soil was washed from the lower slope, damaging and cracking the road surface. During the closure, only local residents riding motorcycles were permitted to pass through the area.
The road reopened to vehicles at noon on Sept. 12.
Repairs involved removing saturated mud and soil that could no longer support the road, installing steel rail piles to reinforce the foundation, and rebuilding the roadbed and asphalt surface. Workers also improved drainage and water-diversion channels around the damaged section.
The office said Chaishan’s coral-reef limestone geology is affected by long-term weathering and rain erosion. During prolonged heavy rain, water entering the ground can raise soil moisture and contribute to slope movement or collapse.
Chaishan Road is a principal access route for residents of Taoyuan Village (桃源里). It also carries visitors traveling through the area north of the university toward Chaishan’s coastal communities and scenic areas.
The Road Maintenance Office said it would continue monitoring the repaired section and surrounding slope, particularly during periods of heavy rain.
