Sivaniolo Lumelume 
The Fiji Roads Authority is shifting from routine pothole repairs to a more sustainable approach to address the country’s deteriorating roads.
Acting CEO Apisai Ketenilagi says many roads have deteriorated beyond the point where traditional repairs are effective.
The acting CEO stresses that FRA is undertaking a program of broader road rehabilitation and surface renewal to ensure durability and resilience.
“So basically we are engaging; we are sort of progressing with the engagement of new contracts to rectify those portholes. So it’s not going to be a porthole; it’s going to be a carrier out a wider rehabilitation, renewal of the road surface there in a deterioration condition.”
Ketenilagi reiterates that FRA is committed to enforcing quality standards among contractors to prevent recurring defects.
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, echoed similar sentiments, stating that pothole repairs are a band-aid solution.
“If you see that road, it’s deteriorated. Because it’s like putting a pothole and then re-patching that, then it’s layer after layer of patching. So that kind of deterioration should really be ripped out and resealed.”
The FRA’s new approach aims to provide long-term solutions to Fiji’s road challenges, improving safety and convenience for all road users.
