As cold front approaches Keelung City delays construction to keep underpass open for homeless

The Keelung City Government has decided to temporarily delay renovation of two pedestrian underpasses, as a cold front bearing down on Taiwan is expected to bring a sharp drop in temperatures tomorrow, and councillors worry that homeless people may have nowhere to go for shelter.

The Keelung City Government decided to renovate the Chenghuang Temple-Dong’an Plaza underpasses after it was noted that the tunnels were prone to leak in rain, were covered in graffiti, and had a dingy appearance.

After four rounds of bidding, a contract was issued to replace the ceiling with a bright lighting design, cover the walls with shaped steel plates, and renew the floor with non-slip, dirt-resistant epoxy resin material.

The Keelung City Department of Works originally planned to close the pedestrian underpasses, Monday, November 8, with renovations expected to be completed February 2022.

However, with a cold front in combination with northeast monsoonal rain expected to arrive tomorrow morning, plunging temperatures to a forecast 14°C, it was decided to postpone construction so that pedestrians and “street friends” (the homeless) can have some respite from the rain and cold.

A new date for start of construction will be announced in the future, the Keelung City Government said.

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