Kaohsiung’s Former “Longest Bridge in the East” Transformed into Skywalk, Officially Opens on the 6th

▲ The Kaoping Old Iron Bridge at sunset. (Photo/Screen capture from the Kaohsiung Unbelievable fan page, photographed by Tseng Kuo-shu)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Southern Taiwan second-class historic site “Kaoping Old Iron Bridge,” which celebrated its centennial in 2014, has been revitalized by the Kaohsiung City Government to showcase its renewed charm. A skywalk has been added atop the old iron bridge and officially opened this Saturday (the 6th). In the future, the public will be able to walk along the former railway tracks and enjoy the breathtaking 120-hectare expanse of the Kaoping Wetlands’ scenic beauty and ecology.

Originally named the Shimen Iron Bridge, the Kaoping Old Iron Bridge is located between Liukuaicuo Station and Jioujiutang Station on the Taiwan Railways. It was constructed during the Japanese colonial period to expedite the transportation of sugar produced on the Pingtung Plain, as well as to develop the area’s abundant resources. The bridge features a single-track railway, stretches 1,526 meters in length, and is 7.6 meters wide. It consists of 24 steel truss sections and was the longest iron bridge in Taiwan at the time. It was also ranked as the longest bridge in Asia and earned the reputation of being the “Longest Bridge in the East.”

In 1983, the Taiwan Railways built the new Kaoping River Bridge on the north side of the old bridge for safety reasons, and it became operational in 1987. The old bridge was officially decommissioned in 1992 and was initially set for demolition. However, due to its historical and cultural significance, local figures and cultural historians from both Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties campaigned to preserve it. In 1997, it was designated as a national second-class historic site. It remains the only railway bridge in Taiwan currently listed as a national historic monument.

In this centennial year of the old iron bridge, to highlight the renewed charm of the Dajhu Kaoping Old Iron Bridge historic site, the Kaohsiung City Government’s Urban Development Bureau carried out beautification projects around the area. With the concept of a “skywalk” in mind, they created an accessible environment that invites the public to engage with the space. In the future, people will be able to walk along the former railway tracks and take in the stunning 120-hectare view of the Kaoping Wetlands’ landscape and ecology from above.