Note: Highways in Kinmen and Matsu are not covered in this article.

Highways in Taiwan are classfied into four types:

1. National Highway: 1 - 10
2. Provincial Highway: 1 - 28, 61 - 88
3. County Highway: 101 - 205
4. Township Highway

The Numbering Systerm

As a general rule, the odd numbers represent north-south highways and even numbers represent east-west. The numbers increase moving west to east and north to south. Major north-south provincial highways are indicated by a one-digit number. Spurs of a highway use the same number, followed by a heavenly stem character. However, for English translation, these characters are replaced by letters in the alphabetical order.

National Highways

Generally speaking, national highways are freeways. The construction of the national highways began in 1971. The north section between Keelung City and Jhongli City was completed in 1974. The construction of the first freeway (No. 1) was completed in 1978. The freeway runs from the northern harbor Keelung to the southern harbor Kaohsiung. There is a 8.6 KM branch (No. 1A) connecting the C.K.S. Airport.

It was not until the late 1980s to see the construction of other freeways. The north section of the second north-south freeway (No. 3) between Sijhih City and Hsinchu City was completed in 1997. The No. 1A Branch was extended to link No. 3 Freeway at Yingge, Taipei and renamed as No. 2 Freeway. Three other short freeways (No. 4, No. 8, and No. 10) were built to link the two north-south freeways in Taichung County, Tainan County, and Kaohsiung County, respectively. The entire No. 3 Freeway was completed in January, 2004.

To ease the congestion of No. 1 Freeway in the Taipei metropolitan area, a 20KM elevated bridge was built on top of the original freeway between Sijhih City and Wugu, Taipei. This extension was finished in 1997.

The construction of a freeway connecting the Taipei metropolitan area and Yilan County began in 1991. It includes a 12.9KM tunnel (Syueshan Tunnel ), which will be the fifth longest road tunnel in the world. An extension from Yilan County to Hualian County is planned. However, the construction is delayed by environmental concerns.

There are seven national highways as of 2004. They are administered by the National Freeway Bureau.

• No. 1 (Keelung City - Siaogang, Kaohsiung): 373.2 KM, completed on October 31, 1978
• No. 2 (C.K.S. Airport - Yingge, Taipei): 20.4 KM, completed on August 24, 1997
• No. 3 (Dawulun, Keelung City - Linbian, Pingtung): 432.0 KM, completed on January 11, 2004
  • No. 3A (Da-an, Taipei City - Shenkeng, Taipei): 5.6 KM, completed on March 21, 1996
• No. 4 (Cingshuei, Taichung - Fongyuan City): 18.5 KM, completed in November, 2001
• No. 5 (Nangang, Taipei City - Shihding, Taipei): 4.0 KM
• No. 8 (Annan, Tainan City - Sinhua, Tainan): 15.5 KM, completed in February, 2000
• No. 10 (Zuoying, Kaohsiung City - Cishan, Kaohsiung): 33.8 KM completed in February, 2000

Routes under construction are:

• No. 5 (Shihding, Taipei - Su-ao, Yilan): scheduled to be open in 2005
• No. 6 (Wufong, Taichung - Puli, Nantou)

Provincial Highways

Provincial highways are administered by Directorate General of Highways under Department of Transportation and Communucations since 1999. Before the mid-1990s, the numbers of provincial highways were limited to 1 - 27. In the 1992, 12 east-west expressways and the West-Coast Expressway, indicated by a number greater than 60, were planned to ease the congestion in the freeways. Some of these expressways are still under construction.

• No. 1 (Taipei City - Fonggang, Pingtung): This is the historical north-south highway (縱貫公路).
  • No. 1A (Taipei City - Taoyuan City)
  • No. 1B (Daya, Taichung - Wangtian, Taichung)
• No. 2 (Guandu, Taipei - Su-ao, Yilan) (North Coast Highway)
  • No. 2A (Jinshan, Taipei - Taipei City)
  • No. 2B (Taipei City - Danshuei, Taipei)
  • No. 2D (Badu, Keelung - Rueibin, Taipei)
  • No. 2F (Dawuluan, Keelung - Keelung Harbor ): An extension of No. 3 Freeway.
• No. 3 (Taipei City - Pingtung City)
  • No. 3A (Caotun, Nantou - Nantou City)
• No. 4 (Lujhu, Taoyuan - Shihmen Reservoir )
• No. 5 (Taipei City - Keelung City)
  • No. 5A (Jhangshuwan, Taipei - Lioudu, Keelung)
• No. 6 (Longgnag, Miaoli - Wunshuei, Miaoli)
• No. 7 (Dasi, Taoyuan - Jhuangwei, Yilan): (Northern Cross-Island Highway, 北部橫貫公路)
  • No. 7A (Cilan - Lishan)
• No. 8 (Dongshih, Taichung - Taroko, Hualian) (Central Cross-Island Highway, 中部橫貫公路): This highway was severely damaged between Guguan and Deji by Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999 and is unlikely to be restored in the near future.
• No. 9 (Taipei City - Fonggang, Pingtung): The highway runs through the eastern part of Taiwan. It is the longest highway in Taiwan.
  • No. 9A (Sindian City - Wulai, Taipei)
• No. 10 (Taichung Harbor - Fongyuan City)
• No. 11 (Hualian City - Taitung City)
• No. 12 (Taichung Harbor - Taichung City)
• No. 13 (Siangshan, Hsinchu - Fongyuan City)
• No. 14 (Changhua City - Lushan, Nantou)
  • No. 14A (Wushe, Nantou - Dayuling, Hualian)
• No. 15 (Guandu, Taipei - Hsinchu City)
• No. 16 (Mingjian, Nantou - Shueili, Nantou )
• No. 17 (Jianan, Taichung - Shueidiliao, Pingtung): (West Coast Highway)
• No. 18 (Chiayi City - Tatajia, Chiayi)
• No. 19 (Changhua City - Tainan City)
• No. 20 (Tainan City - Haiduan, Taitung): (Southern Cross-Island Highway, 南部橫貫公路)
• No. 21 (Tianneng, Taichung - Sanwei, Kaohsiung)
• No. 22 (Nanzih, Kaohsiung - Gaoshu, Kaohsiung )
• No. 23 (Fuli, Hualian - Donghe, Taitung )
• No. 24 (Pingtung City - Wutai, Pingtung )
• No. 25 (Fongshan City - Linyuan, Kaohsiung )
• No. 26 (Fonggang, Pingtung - Kenting National Park)
• No. 27 (Laonong, Kaohsiung - Wunong, Pingtung)
• No. 28 (Alian, Kaohsiung - Maolin, Kaohsiung)
• No. 61 (Siangshan, Hsinchu - Baishatun, Miaoli and Yuanli, Miaoli - Fusing, Changhua) (West Coastal Expressway, 西濱快速道路)
• No. 62 (Dawulun, Keelung - Madong, Keelung and Rueifang, Taipei - Rueibin, Taipei)
• No. 63 (Taichung City - Nantou City) (Jhongtou Highway, 中投公路)
• No. 64 (Banciao City - Jhonghe City)
• No. 66 (Guanyin, Taoyuan - Dasi, Taoyuan)
• No. 68 (Nanliao, Hsinchu - Jhudong, Hsinchu)
• No. 72 (Houlong, Miaoli - Shihtan, Miaoli )
• No. 74 (Kuaiguan, Changhua - Taichung City)
• No. 76 (Fusing, Changhua - Yuanlin, Changhua)
• No. 78 (Taisi, Yunlin - Gukeng, Yunlin)
• No. 82 (Taibao City - Shueishang, Chiayi )
• No. 84 (Guantian, Tainan - Yujing, Tainan)
• No. 86 (Rende, Tainan - Guanmiao, Tainan)
• No. 88 (Fongshan City - Chaojhou, Pingtung)

See also

• Transportation in Taiwan

External links

• National Freeway Bureau
• Directorate General of Highways
• Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau