Taiwan ROC - Silou Bridge 西螺大橋

 

Stamp Issue : 1954-1-28 

Silou Bridge crossing over Jhuoshuei River in Central Taiwan is the hub of the north-south highway lines. The bridge is 1,939 meters long, 7.3 meters wide with 31 spans. Started in 1937, interrupted during WWII, the construction was resumed in 1952 with US aid and inaugurated on January 28, 1953. The structural steel trusses were supplied by ECA China Mission. It was the longest highway bridge in the Far East back then. The bridge was designed with rails on the deck to carry both road and railway traffic to the Taiwan Sugar Railways network.
More than 60 years old, like many aging bridges Silou Bridge once faced the fate of reconstruction and demolition. As the bridge has become an important local cultural landscape, through the efforts of the community, the government decided to preserve the bridge and its original appearance. However, for safety measure, the rails are removed and only light weight vehicles are allowed.

西螺大橋橫跨臺灣濁水溪，處南北公路幹線中心，橋長1,939公尺，寬7.3公尺，計31孔。始建於1937年，在二次世界大戰期間中斷，於1952年復工，1953年1月28日舉行通車典禮。鋼樑由美援供給，橋面附有鐵軌，以連接兩岸臺灣糖業公司之鐵路網 。為當時遠東最長之公路橋。
高齡已逾60多年的西螺大橋與多數老橋一樣，一度面臨改建或拆除的命運。由於西螺大橋已是當地重要的人文景觀，經過地方人士努力爭取，政府決定繼續保留橋梁原貌不變，但為橋梁安全考量，已拆除橋上的鐵軌，並只限小型車輛通行。