THE $3million upgrade of the Lautoka bus station has finally gotten underway.
Chairperson of the city’s board of special administrators, Taitusi Rasoki, said the project would be undertaken in three phases to ward off traffic congestion issues.
The first stage will involve the Ba bus bay area, while the second will be the frontage of the Market Police Post. The third stage will be the entrance to the Sugar City Mall facing the junction heading towards Namoli Avenue.
“The traffic will be redirected to convenient places where they can still serve the public,” Mr Rasoki said.
“We’re trying to avoid a disruption to the travelling public.”
Buses at the Lautoka-Ba bus rank will be parked along Namoli Avenue during the duration of the project which is scheduled for completion by November or December.
Special administrator Ajay Kumar said the municipal market would also undergo an upgrade with an additional allocation of between $100,000 and $150,000.
“They are doing exterior work at this point,” he said.
“Later on, we will start with the interior and the other side of the market, which all the people in Lautoka know is a triangle.”
Lautoka Residents and Ratepayers Association president Narayan Reddy said the association was grateful that the bus station upgrade promised 10 years ago was finally being done.
“We’ll request the people of Lautoka to bear with the council — with the dust,” Mr Reddy said.
“We also request the contractors to minimise the dust emitted from that area. This could affect not only the people but the market vendors and their space.”
Mr Reddy said the Ministry of Health would need to do an assessment of the market.
“If they’re going to touch the old market, don’t forget the bus station market still has asbestos.
“I think the Health Ministry should come down, OHS and Labour should come down, and see that things are properly done because the last time they did that new market extension, the work was actually stopped by the Labour Ministry.
“A special team came down to remove the asbestos because the market still had asbestos on the roof and the sides.”
