Typhoon Morakot brought an immense amount of rain that devastated the mountain and forest areas and led to the destruction of a large number of key bridges spanning rivers and streams. The contact and communication between residents on both sides was disrupted turning cut-off areas into isolated islands. The Reconstruction Council of the Executive Yuan states that over the past four years the reconstruction of these bridges has already been completed by adopting even higher disaster resistant standards. Indigenous totem aesthetics have been incorporated into the architectural design to enhance the aesthetic quality and benefit of the construction projects and make sure that the new facilities have an artistic flair instead of being just simple bridges.

Traditional bridge construction concepts emphasize that a bridge should be perpendicular to the riverbed and the span length should be as short as possible to save funds and facilitate the construction work. For the reconstruction of the bridges after the disaster, the following three principles were adopted: “high bridge buttresses, long span length, and deep foundations”. Areas with unstable geological conditions were avoided and the flow of mud and rocks and the main current of the river were left unobstructed. The forces of nature were given first consideration in all building projects. After getting a taste of the forces of nature, we learned how important it is to adopt a humble attitude when facing these forces. In addition, the designers also made sure that the shapes and colors were in harmony with the local natural environment. They also employed colorful patterns to manifest local culture and life philosophies.

The “Sun Moon Bridges” in the Xinyi Township in Nantou County are a notable example. The Habilan Tunnel on Nantou County Highway No.60 is located at the main current of the river. The foot of the slope has been eroded by the river and the roadbed has disappeared. The soil is still highly unstable in places were the road has collapsed and the road has been cut off numerous times. To remove the root of the problem, the Morakot Reconstruction Council allocated donations from Mainland China to subsidize the construction of the bridges by the Nantou County Government. Collapsed areas were avoided for the construction of the new bridge. Due to the rapid progress and excellent quality control as well as the incorporation of features of local culture, the project was recognized with the 2012 Public Construction Golden Quality Award. The design of the bridge was inspired by the Sun shooting legend of the Bunun Tribe. The “Sun Bridge” represents the masculine element and is decorated with numerous sun images. The body of the bridge is painted mainly white to match the color of the clothing of male members of the tribe. The heads of the bridge also feature sun and bow and arrow images. The “Moon Bridge”, on the other hand, represents the feminine element and is decorated with moon images. The body of the bridge is painted mainly black to match the color of the clothing of female members of the tribe. The bridge has evolved into one of the most beautiful landmarks of the Dongpu hot spring area.
    
Due to damages caused by Typhoon Morakot, the first bridge since the construction of the road was built on Provincial Highway No.18 in the Alishan area. Due to a collapse of a whole section near the 71km of Provincial Highway No.18 and a landslide down the steep mountain slope, a stretch of 200 meters completely disappeared. It was impossible to reconstruct the road and after detailed assessments, it was decided to build a long span bridge instead. The new bridge has a length of 198 meters and stretches across the collapsed area without the support of buttresses. To reduce the construction time, a steel arch design was employed. During the construction of the bridge abutment and access, the steel structure was manufactured simultaneously in a factory and was then transported to the construction site and assembled on the spot to minimize the impact on the traffic flow. The bridge was named “FKUO Bridge” after a word of the local Tsou tribal language, which refers to hibiscus trees covering the whole land and mountains. Local indigenous people consider the local hibiscus species auspicious. The sturdy tree bark fibers are dyed red and combined with wild boar tusks to create arm decorations for the men as a protection against evil spirits.

Bridges in tribal areas were reconstructed by employing suspension bridge designs, which is another unique characteristic of the Morakot reconstruction process.

The local indigenous people enter or leave their tribal communities mainly on foot or by scooter and other small vehicles (or pick-ups) via access roads that are connected to the existing public road system. The traffic volume is therefore comparatively low. Compared to traditional bridge designs, suspension bridges have long spans and are low-budget projects that can be completed in a short amount of time. Earthquakes or typhoons also affect them less. Even if they sustain some damage, they can be repaired or rebuilt in a short amount of time. In earlier times, suspension bridge designs were therefore often employed for tribal areas. These structures also help reduce the impact on geologically sensitive areas. Many slopes collapsed due to the impact of Typhoon Morakot and the loose mud and soil in mountain areas was washed down the slopes and into the rivers by the heavy rainfall caused by the typhoon, which in turn led to an increased silting of rivers and unstable river flow conditions. In view of these conditions, suspension bridge designs were the ideal choice for the reconstruction process. These designs were decorated with local aboriginal totem patterns and not only helped solve local traffic problems but also evolved into local tourist attractions. Notable examples are Suoaji Suspension Bridge, Galafeng Suspension Bridge, and Daxibale Suspension Bridge in the Taoyuan District of Kaohsiung City, Qijia Suspension Bridge in the Chunri Township in Pingtung County as well as Fumei Suspension Bridge and Tanayiku Suspension Bridge in the Alishan Township in Chiayi County.

Natural disasters such as torrential rains caused by typhoons and earthquakes are a common phenomenon in Taiwan that we have to deal with. We now understand that we should no longer subscribe to the concept of “mankind can overcome nature” for our engineering projects. On the contrary, “humans should follow nature” has to be our new approach. Appropriate hardware facilities combined with disaster relief measures such as evacuation and provision of shelter can help reduce the scope of disasters and mitigate their impact as well as avoid casualties.

FKUO Bridge on Highway Alishan

Sun-Moon Bridges in Dongpu, Nantou

Daxibale Suspension Bridge in Taoyuan, Kaohsiung

Tanayiku Suspension Bridge in Alishan, Chiayi