Update: 5:16PM EMERGENCY repairs at the Wainaloka Bridge on Ovalau was forced to close temporarily to effect emergency repairs on failures experienced yesterday morning.

The Fiji Roads Authority did not disclose the cause of the failure, which it was investigating.

However, it was adamant to fix the problem before reopening it to accommodate the next boat that was to have arrived from mainland last night.

Motorists on the island had been notified of the closure and to expect some form of bridge restriction by the afternoon.

FRA chief executive officer John Hutchinson said their bridge engineers would inspect the bridge to assess the damage and requested the cooperation of the community in obeying the traffic management set up and the instructions from the traffic controllers on the ground. 

Three other bridges on the islands – Vuma Bridge, Naisoqo Bridge and Market Bridge – are being replced and construction work had already begun.