TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Highway Bureau won the Gold Award Thursday (Oct. 9) at the 2025 Muse Design Awards for sustainable highway design. The Highway Bureau, MOTC (交通部公路局), Taiwan's national highway authority, received recognition for its "Highway-Forest Symbiosis - New Cent. Cross-Island Highway" (新中橫公路–公路與山林的永續共生) project emphasizing environmental harmony.
The International Awards Associates (國際獎項協會) organizes the Muse Design Awards as one of the most influential creative design competitions globally. The award-winning project spans Provincial Highway No. 21 (臺21線) and No. 18 (臺18線) in Nantou County (南投縣), Taiwan's central mountainous region, providing access to Yushan National Park (玉山國家公園), Alishan Forest Recreation Area (阿里山國家森林遊樂區), and Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area (日月潭國家風景區).
The vital tourist highway climbs from 500 meters (1,640 feet) to Tataka (塔塔加) at 2,610 meters (8,563 feet), showcasing diverse ecological landscapes. Following Typhoon Morakot (莫拉克颱風) in 2009 and subsequent natural disasters, Taiwan's highway authorities adopted sustainable approaches, creating an "evergreen ecological road" using local materials while implementing the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. ◼