Central Cross-Island Highway Facts for Kids

Provincial Highway No. 8

Central Cross-Island Highway (in red and blue). The blue parts are permanently closed because of earthquake and typhoon damage.

A narrow part of the road in Taroko Gorge

The Central Cross-Island Highway is a famous road in Taiwan. It's also called Provincial Highway No.8. This highway is one of three main roads that connect the eastern and western sides of the island. It goes through high mountains and beautiful areas.

Building the Highway
The Highway's Path
Why Parts of the Highway Are Closed
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

Building the Highway

Building the Central Cross-Island Highway started on July 7, 1956. It took about four years to finish. The road first opened for cars on May 9, 1960.

The Highway's Path

A temple along the highway in Taroko Gorge

The highway starts in the west at Dongshi District in Taichung. It used to climb up into the Central Mountain Range. It followed the Dajia River valley through towns like Guguan and Cingshan.

At a place called Lishan, another road branches off to the north, heading towards Yilan City. The main highway continues through the mountains to Dayuling. This is the highest point on the whole road. From Dayuling, another branch goes south to Wushe.

If you keep going east from Dayuling, the highway goes down into Taroko National Park. It passes through places like Guanyuan, Cih-en, Luoshao, and Tiansiang. Then, it enters the amazing Taroko Gorge. After the gorge, the road meets the eastern coastal Su'ao-Hualien Highway.

Why Parts of the Highway Are Closed

The Central Cross-Island Highway goes through very steep mountains. Because of this, rocks often fall, and there can be landslides. Heavy rain from typhoons can also push soil and rocks onto the road. This makes it impossible for people to drive through some parts.

Earthquakes also cause a lot of damage to the highway. On September 21, 1999, a big earthquake called the Jiji earthquake hit Taiwan. It caused a lot of damage to the highway. Many parts between Dongshih and Lishan were cut off.

There was so much damage in 1999 that fixing it would cost a lot of money. The damaged parts were supposed to open again in 2004. However, heavy rain from Typhoon Mindulle caused even more damage. Because of this, these parts of the highway were closed again.

Today, the highway is still closed between Lishan and Guguan. There are no plans to repair this section. However, the New Central Cross-Island Highway offers another way to cross the island.