The much debated Suhua Highway improvement project was conditionally approved on Tuesday after more than six hours of discussion by the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee. And construction work may start early next year with an expected completion date in 2017. But some experts consider the review process rushed and flawed, worrying that there are still unforeseen dangers about the plan.

After two preliminary meetings, the committee responsible for the environmental impact assessment for the Suhua Highway the gave a conditional pass to the project after 22 days of work.

It set a record for the fastest passage of a major case. Still, many members questioned the Highway Administration's groundwater data as potentially lacking and the ability to assure that there would be no problems during construction.

Chen Cheng-Hong, vice chairman of the National Science Council gave assurances that the current disruption was not associated with the 921 earthquake as geological conditions could be mastered. Hualien County Commissioner Fu Kun-chi who sat through the meetings said that the interruption of the Suhua Highway had caused Hualien to fall on hard times. He called for this project to be passed as part of a safe way home and was very pleased it had passed after so many years.

Before the review, some hoped that the EIA would not be simply pushed through as there were pros and cons on both sides of the issue.

This led to a tense atmosphere and finally, after a six-hour long discussion, the EIA did was given a conditional pass to start work on the Suhua Highway for a total of 38.4 kilometers and an investment of 46.58 billion NT$ which is expected to see a contract to begin work issued before the end of the year and completed by 2017.

It will include the digging of eight tunnel, giving people ion the east coast a safe way home.

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