The government is ensuring that standards of roads and jetties are internationally recognised- Usamate

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Jone Usamate says the government is currently playing a catch‑up game in ensuring that the standards of roads, bridges and jetties are internationally recognised.

Usamate highlighted this is in a special meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of Fiji Roads Authority, Jonathan Moore and Land Transport Authority CEO, Samuel Simpson at The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation.

Chief Executive Officer of Fiji Roads Authority, Jonathan Moore[Photo:Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation]

He says government will need to invest 5 to 8 percent of the total Gross Domestic Product on infrastructure alone to meet these standards and this will take FRA a maximum of 10 years to achieve an internationally recognised infrastructure.

Usamate says sealed roads that have been decimated by decades of uncontrolled overloading and negligible maintenance will require and investment of over $2 Billion, over many years, to bring them back to an acceptable standard.

Land Transport Authority CEO, Samuel Simpson[Photo:Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation]

Usamate says Fiji’s biggest challenge in its transport infrastructure development is the legacy around, historical under funding, ineffective forward planning, an out‑dated transport network accommodating increasing road users, ineffective historic data collection on the network and maintenance and zero network resilience

He says these issues have resulted in severely deteriorated conditions of roads, bridges and jetties and urgent to redress and bring the infrastructure to international standards need to be undertaken.

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