The Yunlong Suspension Bridge, an important section of the Batongguan Historic Trail and a key passage from Dongpu to Guanguang, was struck and broken by falling rocks on the 11th. Recently, long-distance hikers on routes such as the Southern Section II and the Mabolasih Traverse have either had to cancel their trips or take detours of dozens of kilometers via the Jundai Forest Road. After an on-site inspection, the Taroko National Park Headquarters found that the foundation of the old trail beside the bridge was still intact. Following repairs, the trail has been opened starting today as an alternative route for long-distance hikers, who can carefully cross it with the assistance of chains.
The Yunlong Suspension Bridge is located about 4.3 kilometers east of the Dongpu entrance of the Batongguan Historic Trail (approximately 4.5 kilometers according to the new trail markers). Around noon on May 11, the bridge deck and steel cables were shattered by a massive falling rock. A reporter from the China Times discovered the damage and reported it to the Taroko National Park Headquarters. Deputy Director Lin Wenhe immediately dispatched personnel to the site to seal it off and announce its temporary closure.
On the 12th, a reassessment of the damage was carried out. Preliminary evaluations indicated that although the bridge deck and auxiliary cables were damaged, the main cables remained intact and unharmed. Due to the fact that mountain repair work relies entirely on manual labor and cannot utilize large machinery, and taking into account construction timeframes and weather conditions, the repair is scheduled to be completed by July 7.
As the suspension bridge repair work will take over a month, and considering that long-distance hikers possess extensive mountaineering experience and the expertise to navigate challenging terrains, Taroko National Park Headquarters rangers recently assessed, inspected, cleared, and repaired the old trail beside the bridge. It has now been opened to long-distance hikers who have applied and been approved. However, general tourists are only permitted to walk up to the area near Yunlong Waterfall and must stop before reaching the bridge.
(China Times)