Destroying houses to widen the road! – Historical heritage fades before 100 years.

Many Hakka buildings in Daoxiang Rd., Jian County, Hualian, face destruction after the government announced plans for a road-widening project. The project, which will widen the roads from their present 13 meters to the new government regulatory width of 15 meters, will sadly require the expropriation of houses and their subsequent demolition - ironically, the roads to be widened run into a dead-end! Committee members of the government’s Cultural Heritage Committee expressed their sadness and regret regarding the planned demolition of eighty-year-old buildings for a mere two meters of extra road width. The township mayor, village mayor, public representatives and many other government officials have been aware of the inherent problems of such a project for some time, however regrettably expressed that after the urban planning regulations were announced, they had no alternative but to implement them.

Officials hope that if in the future the railway can be elevated, then Daoxiang Rd., which is currently a dead-end due to the railway tracks, can be extended to join Highway 9, making the area more accessible and convenient. However, most residents believe that as the feasibility of engaging in such an engineering project in the foreseeable future is low, it would be foolish to continue with such plans. They express that with so much uncertainty as to the future of the road and railway, would it not be ludicrous to commence with road-widening plans that include the destruction of important elements of Taiwanese heritage? The Township Office, which intends on tearing down buildings lying at the tip of Daoxiang Rd, has been handed a petition from residents in the area. The petition aims at shortening the road project, which would in turn save the buildings marked for demolition - the Township Office has replied, that any shortening of the project would simply “hinder local development”. The citizen journalist covering the story signed at the prospect of losing ‘Yoshino Station’ under a plan to merely broaden the road width.

Destroying houses to widen the road! – Historical heritage fades before 100 years.

URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/81233

(以下是中文對照)

拓路拆屋 歷史建物難過百年 ( 慈大傳播站 )

照片

花蓮縣吉安鄉稻香路的客家歷史建物因為道路拓寬計畫，房子將被徵收拆除。然而拓寬之後，路的盡頭卻是個死巷。此段路寬約13米，政府預計拓寬成15米，為 了2米必須拆掉80年歷史的建築，連縣政府的文化資產委員會的委員及承辦員們都覺得可惜。村長、鄉長、民意代表及各行政官員皆知計畫問題所在，卻只能遺憾 地向表示：都市計畫形同法規，公告實施後一定要照做。稻香路末端因鐵路而成為死巷，未來如果鐵路成功的高架，就可以把稻香路與台九線（省 道）連接。吉安鄉公所正在爭取吉安段鐵路高架工程，所以未來很有希望讓吉安鄉交通更加便利。然而，在地居民擔心的是，鐵路高架工程並非短時間可以完成的事 情。現在為拓寬道路而強拆歷史建物，以後如果鐵路高架計畫取消或者連接台九線的計畫不做了，那房子不就白拆了嗎？鄉公所要拆除稻香路末端的歷史建物，居民 向鄉公所陳情盼望縮短工程，但鄉公所屢次於公文中表示，若未執行拓寬將「阻礙地方發展」。公民記者感嘆，充滿歷史文化的「吉野驛」舊址地景未來將在這樣的 拓寬計畫下消失殆盡。

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