On December 31, 2007 a news article on Fiji Times online read, “New bridge claims first life”. The truck involved was travelling towards Suva when it veered off the bridge, hitting the unprotected sidewalk and railings before landing on dry land.
I can imagine what the headlines would have read if pedestrians were using the bridge at that exact moment.
I challenge the Ministry of Works to take a walk on the bridge while vehicles are travelling at 80 to 90 km per hour and compare it with the old bridge, which has upright street beams to protect you and also prevent traffic from falling into the river in an event of an accident. The beams also operate as a deterrent for reckless drivers and a safety shield for pedestrians. The structure that has survived cyclones, hurricanes and floods since it opened on June 12, 1937 was no longer used for cars but pedestrians including schoolchildren who frequented it daily. It could also be a barrier to future floods by slowing their momentum before reaching the new Rewa Bridge.
The old bridge has been accommodating the people travelling the Kings Rd and vice versa for the past 80 years, including the people of the city of Suva, the town of Nausori, and Nasinu, including three provinces; the provinces of Tailevu, Rewa and Naitasiri.
The bridge has served our forefathers before us and we pray and hope that it will serve the present and future generations to come. After 11 years of assessment, the Ministry of Works has not planned out a solution for the bridge. Can the Ministry of Works put aside the $1.2m (for dismantling the bridge) and the hiring charges of $200k and work with the Nausori Town Administration Committee towards the yearly maintenance of the old bridge.
I also suggest to the NTCA to include the maintenance fees in future carnivals if possible. As for the environmental impact while maintaining the bridge, I suggest that potable (drinking quality) water is specified as the wash media to eliminate the possibility of contaminating washed surfaces with harmful materials contained in the wash water. And also the usage of low washing pressures and fan nozzles to limit lead paint contamination in wastewater As Jagdish K. Bali (FT 26/08/10) insisted, we the people of Nausori should stand together and voice our concerns. This is a National Heritage and should be treated as one. And last but not least I would like to thank the European Union and the Fiji Government for funding the construction of the new bridge.
