Fiji : Critical Bridges Resilience Project

Transport / Road transport (non-urban) - Transport policies and institutional development

Fiji is a South Pacific archipelagic nation of more than 330 islands including 110 inhabited islands with a land area of 18,300 square kilometers and a population of 930,000 (2022) Fiji is located 2,000-3,000 kilometers from major metropolitan markets and service delivery costs within the country are high because the population is dispersed. About 90% of the population lives on three main islands; Viti Levu, where the capital of Suva is located, Vanua Levu, and Taveuni.

The continuous economic development of Fiji has brought along an increase in transport traffic but despite steady economic improvement, the quality of infrastructure in Fiji continues to lag significantly behind. The poor state of Fiji's infrastructure is attributed to some historical factors including (i) insufficient infrastructure investment, (ii) inadequate or incomplete infrastructure plans and implementation programs, (iii) limited access to international expertise and constrained technical and management know-how in project preparation and implementation, and (iv) reduced sustainability due to lack of resources for operation and maintenance. These issues are exacerbated considering that there is no redundancy in the Fiji's main road network as the existing roads are the only option to move goods and people between the international airport and seaport in Nadi, and the capital Suva. The lack of redundancy creates vulnerability and fragility and a risk to supply chains.

Transport links are vital to link Fiji's dispersed communities and enable people and goods to connect through road links. However, less than optimal infrastructure leads to higher economic cost, which in turn, undermines business potential and economic opportunities. Some impacts on the transportation systems are traffic disruptions due to flooding, an increase in maintenance requirements due to more frequent washouts and the inundation of bridge structures. The damages observed in the transport sector included collapsed embankment, eroded slope protection, collapsed bridge approaches, clogged drainage structure, infrastructure degradation, causeway washout, etc. The economic losses resulted from increased vehicle operation and transport costs and travel delays due to the closure of roads and bridges.

The road network is characterized by spine or circumferential main roads and feeder roads, with few alternative routes. It is prone to disruption by heavy rainfall and flooding, which is often exacerbated by tropical cyclones. A significant increase of heavy trucks on Fiji network causes accelerated deterioration of aging highway and thus imposition of restrictions on some bridges. The imposition of load restrictions on bridges has a caused substantial loss of time and opportunities for businesses. The inadequate capacity of the existing bridges is one of the major factors contributing to the inefficiency of the road network.

Access to transportation through an efficient and sustainable transport network improved.

Transport domestic connectivity in Fiji improved with climate and disaster resilient infrastructure.

Rural and urban bridges replaced with new resilient bridges

Climate solutions identified and prepared

Gender policy action plan implemented