The fragile, precipitous terrain through which the highway cuts, combined with the succession of typhoons and earthquakes, made for extremely difficult construction conditions.
另外由於中橫的開發區域，多屬崇山峻嶺、懸崖峭壁等地質敏感區，接連天災加上脆弱地質，讓這項東西橫貫公路的工程，成為難度極高的工事。