Taipei Dome could restart construction in July, after eight years on hold

Construction may start again at the Taipei Dome as soon as next week, say city officials. After eight years mired in corruption allegations, and controversy over inadequate safety facilities, the mothballed project is expected to get back on track. Mayor Ko Wen-je says the dome''s problems have been fixed after government reviews. But critics accuse him of cutting corners to finally resolve the mammoth project.
A Taipei Dome promo video plays. Farglory, the project’s contractor, could receive its permit to restart work as soon as next week. Taipei Mayor Ko claims all collusion and corner-cutting has been stamped out.
Ko Wen-je
Taipei mayor
My attitude is still the same. It’s as if you have a student who needs to pass a test. There are two conditions to meet: first take the test, and second, pass it. As it stands, we’ve investigated their plan for a capacity of 60,000, and it seems all right. Now, will that increase in the future? I think things always change with the times… Right now we’re using the strictest standards, and looking ahead, we always use rolling improvements. We’ll deal with future problems when they arise. Everything starts with the first step… You can’t say… Otherwise it will never end.
He stressed that over the last five years, the city’s worked continuously to get the dome back on track. The original permit to allow 130,000 people in at one time has been cut down to just 60,000, and Farglory has been banned from applying to increase that for three years. Ten city department chiefs have been asked to sign off on the plans.
Huang Ching-mao
Taipei Urban Development Dept.
Originally the plan had one fire escape area. Now there are 14. So there will be many more fire escape stairwells and people will be able to get out swiftly.
Chen Hsueh-tai
Taipei Transportation Dept.
On the west side of the dome is Guangfu South Road, and to the South it’s Zhongxiao East Road. We’ve told them to shrink the foundations on both sides so that we can add lanes for vehicles.
Every department has carefully vetted the new plans, say officials. But critics are blasting Ko for approving the dome after five years of wrangling. They accuse him of cutting corners in the tradition of his predecessor Hau Lung-pin郝龍斌.
Ko Wen-je
Taipei mayor
Look, we’ve done seven reviews. Twice on the environmental impact, twice on the fire safety regulations. It’s gone on five years! How could it be the same as before? And I’m open and transparent - every meeting is streamed online.
Wang Shih-chien
Taipei City councilor
He gets angry at a little joke. It’s always the guilty party who points the finger first. In the U.S. they have David Copperfield, and in Taiwan we have the magician Ko Wen-je. After five years on hold, now we pull back the curtain, and the dome is almost finished. That’s the magic of Ko Wen-je!
DPP Councilor Wang Shih-chien had no time for Ko’s promises that the dome has changed. After all these years, trust in the project has all but evaporated.