Provincial Highway 8 (Taiwan)
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| 台8線 | ||||
| Central Cross-Island Highway (中部橫貫公路) | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Directorate General of Highways | ||||
| Length: | 189.8 km (117.9 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: |
 PH 3 in Dongshi, Taichung
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| East end: |
 PH 9 in Xincheng, Hualien
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| Highway system | ||||
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The Central Cross-Island Highway (Chinese: 中部橫貫公路) or Provincial Highway 8 is one of three highway systems that connect the west coast with the east of Taiwan.
The construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway began on July 7, 1956 and was first opened to traffic on May 9, 1960.
The route of the highway begins in the west at Dongshi District in Taichung. The highway originally continued up into the Central Mountain Range following the Dajia River valley through the townships of Guguan (谷關) and Cingshan (青山). However, the section between Guguan and Lishan is permanently closed to non-residents due to earthquake and typhoon damage. At Lishan there is a branch that heads north to Yilan City. Passing through the mountains it reaches Dayuling (大禹嶺) which is the highest point of the route. Here another branch of the highway runs south from Dayuling to Wushe (霧社). Continuing east from Dayuling the highway route now begins its descent into the Taroko National Park. It passes through Guanyuan (關原), Cih-en (慈恩), Luoshao (洛韶) and Tianhsiang before entering Taroko Gorge. After the gorge the route then connects up with the eastern coastal Su'ao-Hualien Highway.
The highway route runs through exceedingly rugged and unstable terrain. Heavy rain from typhoons often dislodge soil and rocks onto the highway making sections of it impassable. As well, the area is prone to seismic activity which can have disastrous effects on the highway. On September 21, 1999 the Jiji earthquake caused massive damage to the highway and cut the highway in multiple places between Guguan and Lishan.
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Wikipedia