By KHT Staff. Images via 高雄市政府工務局 Facebook.
KAOHSIUNG — A new lakeside sidewalk on Wenqian Road (文前路) in Niaosong District (鳥松) has opened, adding another piece to Kaohsiung’s walking network around Chengcing Lake (澄清湖).
The Kaohsiung Public Works Bureau said the new section gives pedestrians a safer route along the lake, where residents previously had to walk beside traffic.
Residents told the media that the new sidewalk is making a huge difference to their quality of life, as pedestrians no longer need to squeeze along the roadside.
Public Works Bureau Director Yang Chin-fu (楊欽富) said the city has been improving access around Chengcing Lake and Kaohsiung Golf Green Natural Park (高雄果嶺自然公園) in stages.
The city has already improved the west bank road, parts of the ring trail, and pedestrian environments on nearby Songyi Road (松藝路), Bade South Road (八德南路), and Dapi Road (大埤路). It has also added access routes to connect nearby green spaces.
The newly completed Wenqian Road section is on the east side of the lake.
The bureau said the project includes a physical sidewalk and safety railings to create a more pedestrian-friendly space along the lakeside.
The route also passes near San Ting Lan Sheng (三亭攬勝), one of Chengcing Lake’s traditional eight scenic spots.
The city said the goal is to gradually build a more complete walking network linking Chengcing Lake, Kaohsiung Golf Green Natural Park, Yuanshan Green Space (圓山綠地), Niaosong Wetland (鳥松濕地), and Shuanghu Park (雙湖公園).
Longer-term plans also include links with the Chengcing Lake lakeside trail, the MRT Yellow Line, and the planned National Indigenous Peoples Museum.
Kaohsiung Golf Green Natural Park opened to the public last year after the former Chengcing Lake golf course was turned into a 70-hectare urban nature park. The park has more than 7.2 km of trails and forms part of the wider green belt around Chengcing Lake.
