Caption: Years of neglect being addressed on Latchman Feeder roads. Photo: SUPPLIED.
SEPTEMBER 3 2015. Life will change for the better for the roughly 100 families that live along the two Latchman feeder roads in Sawani near Nausori.
Fulton Hogan Hiways has begun clearing the roads, which had suffered years of neglect and have deteriorated to being dusty dirt roads that become inaccessible during the rainy season.
Latchman Hill One and Hill Two Feeder Roads are situated off of Princess Road and are a little more than a half a kilometre in length.
“The core work we are doing there is drainage and gravelling,” said Fulton Hogan Hiways Rural East Supervisor Iliesa Tuikenatabua.
“Weather-permitting, we should start new road aggregate gravel by Friday,” he added.
For the small farming community that lives in the area, some members more than a kilometer inland, the feeder road is their only access to the main road.
They use it to take their produce to the market, go to work and school.
According to Mr. Tuikenatabua, locals, who had initially settled the area over 20 years ago, constructed both roads.
Maintaining the road network is a major part of the Fulton Hogan Hiways responsibilities under the Central/Eastern area maintenance contract they hold with the Fiji Roads Authority.
FULTON HOGAN HIWAYS