President Ma Ying-jeou and several government officials have paid a visit to the Suhua Expressway in support of the reopening of the route. In the wake of the destruction caused by the landslide, Ma expressed the goal to improve the training in related departments, including the disaster relief unit, and to prepare tour drivers for potential situations.

President Ma led Premier Wu Den-yih, Transportation Minister Mao Chi-kuo, and others on a bus tour of Suhua Expressway to prove to everyone that the expressway is now safe for passage after being destroyed by Typhoon Megi last Oct.

He also hopes to lift the East Coast tourism that was devastated by the typhoon.

The President instructed the Transportation Ministry to increase their training of tour bus drivers and to install communications equipment on all tour buses that pass through the Suhua Expressway so they can receive the latest weather and road condition update.

Local MOT expressway units are also needed to increase their training for disaster relief.

Hualien County Magistrate Fu Kun-chi also suggested that international engineering firms be allowed to participate in the Suhua Expressway improvement that started last month in order to speed up the finish time, which is scheduled for 2017. President Ma said the improvement must meet environmental standards and safety first.

He also said the East Coast's transportation infrastructure is still lacking.

In the future, the government will improve on this, hoping to develop the East Coast's tourism and provide local residents a safe and convenient way to travel.

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