Baulevu Residents Call for Bridge Repair

Residents of Baulevu near Nausori Town are calling for urgent repairs on the aging Koroqaqa bridge.

The wooden bridge is the only link for people in Baulevu and nearby areas to places such as Nausori, Korovou or Suva.

Koroqaqa resident Rajendra Prasad, 59, said people’s lives were at risk when they crossed the bridge daily to reach urban centres.

“The bridge is failing and needs to be fixed now. Although it is small, it is important because it is our mode of crossing daily.

“There are a lot of people who use the bridge daily. It’s very risky for us, especially during rainy days. There are no railings, sidewalks and guard rail to support vehicles, especially when it is slippery.”

Baulevu resident and Member of Parliament Vijay Nath said there was a major safety issue about the bridge and if nothing was done, there was a high risk of a serious accident happening.

“You can’t apply brakes on that bridge, if you do, the vehicle can slip and fall because the wooded planks are not strong anymore to sustain the weight of the vehicle,” he said.

“We are asking Government to help repair the bridge. We need them to change the runners, which is the wood on top.

He said many students depended on the bridge daily to attend classes.

“We have been having heavy rain for the past months. It’s one thing to be dealing with floods from the river and another thing to deal with road accidents and people falling off the bridge because it’s old, slippery and shaking,” he said.

Fiji Roads Authority 

Fiji Roads Authority said running boards needed changing and work is expected to start when they have the materials.

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