National Highway No. 1 (Taiwan)

National Highway No. 1 (Taiwan)
Country	Taiwan
Type	NH
Length km	374.3
Established	1978
Termini a	Keelung
Termini b	Kaohsiung
Cities	Taipei, Banqiao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung

National Highway No. 1 (Taiwan) is a primary north–south controlled-access highway traversing western Taiwan from Keelung to Kaohsiung. It links major metropolitan areas including Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan, forming the backbone of the island's north–south high-speed road network alongside National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan). Constructed during the late 20th century, it integrates with urban expressways such as the Sun Yat-sen Freeway and connects to ports like Keelung Port and Kaohsiung Port.

Route description

The route begins in Keelung near Port of Keelung and proceeds southwest through Taipei Basin into New Taipei City, passing interchanges that serve Banqiao District, Linkou, and Taoyuan District. South of Taoyuan International Airport, the highway skirts the Taipei Taoyuan Airport Corporation zone and continues past industrial centers in Hsinchu Science Park and Zhubei. Through Miaoli County and Taichung, it traverses mixed agricultural and urban landscapes, providing access to landmarks such as Lugang and National Chung Hsing University. Entering Changhua County and Yunlin County, the alignment parallels the Western Trunk Line railway and reaches Chiayi County before serving the Tainan metropolitan area. The southern section passes industrial parks and energy facilities near Kaohsiung Port and terminates at the Port of Kaohsiung urban fringes. Along its length, it interfaces with arterial routes like Provincial Highway 1 (Taiwan), Provincial Highway 3 (Taiwan), and expressways including National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan) and National Highway No. 10 (Taiwan).

History

Planning for the highway began in the 1960s amid national infrastructure drives led by the Executive Yuan and ministries such as the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Construction commenced in the 1970s with segments opened progressively between 1974 and 1978 to support Taiwan's export-led growth and industrialization associated with the Ten Major Construction Projects. Major civil works involved firms and agencies including the China Engineering Consultants, Inc. and local governments like Taichung City Government. Over subsequent decades, upgrades addressed seismic resilience following regional events researched by institutions such as Academia Sinica and traffic engineering standards developed with input from universities like National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University.

Major interchanges and exits

Key interchanges include the Keelung terminus connecting to Jinshan District; the Taipei junctions serving Zhongshan District, Songshan District, and Wanhua District; the Banqiao complex linking to Provincial Highway 3 (Taiwan); the Taoyuan interchanges near Taoyuan International Airport and Taoyuan Aerotropolis; a major node at Hsinchu providing access to Hsinchu Science Park; the Taichung multi-level interchange linking to Taichung City Hall and National Freeway 4 (Taiwan); the Changhua and Yunlin exits serving agricultural towns and the West Coast Line corridor; and the southern interchanges around Tainan and Kaohsiung connecting with National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan) and National Highway No. 10 (Taiwan). These interchanges integrate with transport hubs such as Taiwan High Speed Rail stations and port facilities including Port of Kaohsiung.

Services and facilities

Rest areas and service plazas are positioned to serve long-distance traffic, including facilities near Taoyuan, Miaoli, Taichung, and Yunlin. Services typically include fueling stations operated by companies such as CPC Corporation, Taiwan and convenience stores affiliated with 7-Eleven (Taiwan), alongside dining outlets featuring regional cuisine from Taiwanese cuisine and amenities for commercial vehicles. Emergency services coordinate with agencies like the National Fire Agency (Taiwan) and local police departments including Taipei City Police Department. Roadside intelligent transport systems managed by the Freeway Bureau provide electronic signage, incident detection, and traveler information tied to metropolitan traffic centers in Taipei and Kaohsiung.

Traffic volume and tolling

Traffic volumes vary seasonally and diurnally, peaking during holiday periods such as Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival when intercity travel surges. Freight flows serving export terminals and industrial parks contribute substantial heavy-vehicle counts, particularly adjacent to Kaohsiung Port and Hsinchu Science Park. Tolling was historically distance-based with toll collection operated by the Financial Information Service Co., Ltd. and the Freeway Bureau; in recent years, electronic toll collection systems were introduced using automatic license plate recognition and onboard units modeled after programs by agencies like the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan), enabling open-road tolling and congestion pricing trials on select corridors.

Future developments and upgrades

Planned and proposed projects include capacity expansions, interchange reconstructions, and seismic retrofits guided by national infrastructure plans coordinated with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan) and local governments such as Taoyuan City Government and Kaohsiung City Government. Integration projects aim to improve multimodal links with Taiwan High Speed Rail, urban metro systems like the Kaohsiung MRT and Taipei Metro, and logistics centers near Taichung Port and Port of Kaohsiung. Research collaborations with academic institutions including National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and industry partners seek to deploy advanced traffic management, electric vehicle charging corridors in partnership with Taiwan Power Company, and resilience measures informed by studies from Central Weather Bureau and National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering.

Category:Roads in Taiwan