29 August 2014. Given the need for improved streetlight facilities, The Fiji Roads Authority will upgrade 73 streetlights a project initiated by Nasinu Town Council which identified a series of locations where they requested street lighting and pedestrian walkway lighting to be installed.
This is one of two projects for the Nasinu area. In a separate, increased safety for pedestrians in the area is something for residents to look forward to with the construction of footpaths adjacent to Beaumont Road, Nawanawa Road, Kanace Road and Kinoya Road.
The Nasinu Area Footpath Contract, awarded to local contractor Rehoboth Infrastructure Limited will see improvements to these four sites in Nasinu at a combined value of $500,000 funded by the Ministry of Local Government Urban Development, Housing and Environment.
Fiji has around 11,000km of road of which around 1500km is sealed road. Of these sealed roads only a handful have appropriately constructed footpaths. The priority for Fiji Roads Authority is to get ahead of the reseal backlog, get on to sealing gravel roads and provide safer pedestrian facilities like footpaths, streetlights and bus shelters. Prioritising is a challenge but one will have to consider areas where vehicle and pedestrian movement is the greatest.
Ian Hunter the Capital Works Manager for Fiji Roads Authority says “the construction of footpaths creates a safer environment that keeps people off the road and guides approaching vehicles” and it gets even better, additional footpath sites are being considered from an earlier submission made by the Nasinu Town Council. Work is already underway with expected completion around November this year.
FRA