$8.6 Million for TD04F Road Repair, Maybe More

Estimated cost of repairing roads, post TD04F is $8.6 million. The figure may increase. This was revealed by Fiji Roads Authority chief executive officer, John Hutchinson. Mr Hutchinson said since post TD04F, contractors have been out on the roads carrying out pothole patching activities to restore its former conditions. “There is an annual resealing and rehabilitation programme with a number of roads getting done in a given year subject to budget constraints. “Fulton Hogan Hiways have been dispatched to fix the potholes.” According to FRA, on average it would cost $28 to fix per pothole.

“Areas that are worst affected when it comes to potholes are sealed roads that need to be resealed or rehabilitated that accommodate high volumes of traffic. “Potholes form when the road is no longer waterproof. “Water seeps into the road pavement, displacing the soil materials.” He said pothole patching was done because of low cost. It’s a temporary fix until a full rehabilitation can be carried out. “Unfortunately, wet weather and water on the roads often cause pothole patches to fail and that is why people see an increase in the number of potholes after wet weather,” Mr Hutchinson said. He said the road maintenance was an ongoing activity that will never end. Their maintenance crews will continue to maintain the road network and use one of three strategies to remedy road conditions.

These strategies include pothole patching, resealing of a road and road rehabilitation. Edited by Paula Tuvuki

Mr Hutchinson said the road maintenance is an ongoing activity that will never end.