From the years when I was teaching English in 1996 at Texas Instruments factory in Chongho City, I still remember the construction of the Chongho Overpass and the sheer amount of mess it made with blocked roads, dust, traffic and congestion. In Banquiao, the overpass section there has been under construction since 1995 as well.
Since then, the road has been extended through Wugu to Bali, and was recently opened. Today I had the thrill of driving along the entire section from Bali to HsinTien. I won’t say it’s faster than alternative routes, but it’s a lot less driving than going on the Highway proper.
It’s seriously convenient as a route: connecting the #3 and #1 highways with the more important parts of Taipei County and then all the way to the new Taipei Port and Highway 61 (the West Coast Highway). The only part missing for us is the connection to Tamsui from Taipei Port which at the moment is still the Guandu Bridge and two slow routes on either side of the river. Rumor has it that there will be a new bridge, but who knows where and when.