A horizontal rotating bridge will slash 30 minutes off pedestrian and cycling travel times between two sides of a canal near Kaohsiung’s Penglai Port and Industrial Area and become the city’s first bridge to swing open sideways, allowing for the passage of boats and yachts.   

High-ranking officials from the Tsai Administration attended a ground-breaking ceremony for the Dagang Bridge in Kaohsiung on Saturday, September 22nd.

The 110-meter long span – part of development projects in what’s being called Asia’s New Bay Area – will reportedly cost NT$386 million, have a width ranging from 5 to 11 meters and be decorated with images and designs related to marine life. 

The unique bridge may also, some hope, become a minor tourist attraction in its own right.  

The rotating bridge can handle the weight of 550 people and bicycles and the process of opening, rotating and closing the bridge can be completed within three minutes.

Kaohsiung officials say Asia’s New Bay Area includes plans to attract IT firms or tech startups to harbor-area land that formerly housed heavy-industry factories or depots.

 Development projects in the area, officials explain, are all part of a bigger plan that seeks to diversify Kaohsiung economy, moving from once being one of the world’s major container ports to a city that’s home to new industries and a vibrant tourism sector.

The rotating Dagang bridge is expected to be in operation by March of 2019.