Labasa bridge upgrade, bypass road urged as traffic worsens

Labasa Town Council special administrator chairperson Paul Jaduram has called for the urgent upgrade of the Labasa Bridge and the fast-tracking of a proposed bypass road to ease worsening traffic congestion in the town.

Jaduram said traffic conditions had become unmanageable, with motorists taking up to one to two hours to cross the bridge during peak periods.

“The Labasa Bridge needs to be upgraded. It is very important,” he said.

“At the same time, traffic congestion in Labasa must be addressed as soon as possible.”

He said a bypass road would significantly reduce congestion and confirmed that the Minister for Sugar, Charan Jeath Singh, had previously indicated plans for a bypass linking Naseakula Road and crossing the Labasa River via a new bridge.

“That makes sense to me. If later they want to extend the bypass further along the river, that is up to them,” Jaduram said.

He expressed concern over Labasa’s growing population, rising vehicle numbers and expanding infrastructure, saying the town was not designed to handle the current traffic volume.

“I never thought in my life that Labasa would experience bumper-to-bumper traffic, but it is happening now,” he said.

“What will happen in the next 30 years?”

Jaduram said addressing the issue should involve more than one section of a ministry and called for broader consultation.

“There are many educated people in Fiji. If we all get together and share ideas with those who understand these matters, we can find solutions,” he said.

He also stressed the need for professional traffic management planning, including the possible introduction of one-way or two-way street systems in parts of the town.

“We need a bypass road urgently, along with a new bridge and experts to manage traffic. It has to be done, but we have to start somewhere,” he said.