By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Work on a second National Freeway 1 interchange in Gangshan District (岡山區) could begin as early as September 2026, after transport officials listed the project among major freeway works expected to start that month.
The planned interchange is intended to divert traffic from the existing Gangshan Interchange, where vehicles serving nearby industrial areas share congested roads with local and commuter traffic. Officials also expect demand to increase as Ciaotou Science Park (橋頭科學園區) develops south of Gangshan.
The Executive Yuan approved the NT$4.38 billion construction plan on Jan. 30, 2023. Its environmental review was approved on March 29 that year, and the Freeway Bureau awarded the construction contract on Jan. 21, 2026, according to its project summary.
The new interchange would be built at the former Gangshan toll plaza, about 2 kilometers north of the existing interchange. Jiasin East Road (嘉新東路) and Dazhuang Road (大莊路), designated as Kaohsiung Route 28, would serve as its main local connection.
Plans call for eight ramps supporting travel in all directions. The design combines a diamond interchange with a semi-direct ramp for northbound exiting traffic turning left.
The project also includes widening about 4 kilometers of the freeway’s main carriageway and rebuilding and enlarging the Gangshan weigh station (a roadside inspection facility for trucks and other commercial vehicles. Trucks may be directed off the freeway onto scales, where officials check whether the vehicle and each axle are within legal weight limits. They may also inspect brakes, tires, cargo, permits, and driver records).
The bureau says the interchange is needed because vehicles serving Benjhou Industrial Park (本洲工業區), Yongan Industrial Park (永安工業區) and the Kaohsiung Environmental Science and Technology Park (高雄環保科技園區) currently rely heavily on the existing Gangshan Interchange.
Source: Freeway Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, and Liberty Times.
