A bridge strong enough to support the weight of heavy trucks and safe enough to serve as a reliable connection was officially opened at Yaqara in Ra this week.
Located along the Kings highway, the $9.8 million investment is expected to improve the safety and reliability of the existing network and also expand it to provide the capacity for sustained growth.
Infrastructure Minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau commissioned the new piece of infrastructure on Thursday where he noted that transportation infrastructure, both urban and rural, was critical to the economy and to the social fabric of the country.
“It helps people get their goods and crops to market, it allows people to get to their workplaces and children to get to their schools,” Ro Filipe said.
“It is the backbone of a modern tourism industry.
“It ensures that help can arrive at a home or a village at a time of dire emergency. It ensures that no one is isolated or left behind.”
The minister said Government aspired to build the best network possible, and would accept nothing less.
“As (an) incoming government, there are two key challenges in terms of road infrastructure; to link in a permanent and efficient way people living in often isolated areas with other people on their island, and to link all the Fijian people living on all our islands together.
“It means repairing these assets quickly when they become damaged or worn, as they eventually will. It means being constantly vigilant for roads that need to be upgraded as they become busier.”
The project was constructed by Fiji Roads Authority contractor Fletcher Construction.
