Natadola Infrastructure - Road and Bridge work under process
$11.3 Million for Natadola Road
By: SOPHIE HILDEBRAND
Anyone who's been to Natadola Beach knows it has great potential as a tourist destination with its miles of white sandy beaches and powerful surf. Yet for years, development of the area was restricted because of infrastructural problems. But $11.3 million should change that.
In just a matter of minutes, just after 3pm yesterday afternoon, a cool $11.3million was committed to the Natadola Beach area - bringing to an end the chicken and egg debate in the tourism industry.
For years, development of the magnificent Natadola Beach area was hindered because of poor road condition leading to the site.
Indeed, only the brave ventured down there without a four-wheel drive or truck of some sort.
Governments, understandably, have been reluctant to commit major funds to the road development without some seriously firm promises from hoteliers that they would develop the site.
And interested hoteliers have been reluctant to make any moves on the ground unless they received firm assurances that the road to the area would be built.
So yesterday this chicken and egg argument was stopped once and for all somewhat.
It's a kind of compromise for the funds for the 11.3 million project have been taken from the budget allocation of the Tourism Ministry and not the Works Ministry.
The Public Works department, however, will oversee the entire project- the bigger chunk of which has been won by a Nadi firm.
Works Ministry permanent secretary Anaas Vocea signed the 8.8 million contract with local firm, Fairdeal Earthmoving Contractors for the first phase of the road development.
It stretches about eight kilometres from the junction of Queens Road down to Sanasana Village.
It's not the first time that the company has won PWD contracts - having bid and completed several over the years.
Fairdeal Earthmoving's Natadola project manager, Sila Sikivou, yesterday said the company had won at least six other projects over the years.
In fact, the company is working on the Nadi- Lautoka regional water supply line now.
It has other contracts including work on the Kings Road from Mead Road to Khalsa Road and roadworks in Wainibokasi, which were funded by the Asian Development Bank.
Mr Sikivou says other PWD work completed by the company includes a sewer line in Lautoka, water line in Wailoaloa, and a reservoir at Delaisiro.
Fairdeal Earthmoving Contractors has a workforce of about 40 people, and managing director Pramod Kumar expects to employ another 50 as a result of this contract.
Yesterday the company handed over an $882,000 performance bond to the PWD and paperwork for public liability insurance of $1 million - both of which were requirements before any contracts could be signed.
The other $2.5 million for the project will be sent by PWD building the new Tuva Bridge. "The Tuva River is central to the Maro Road section and a major bridged structure, with a metal arch culvert underpass of adjacent cane rail traffic will be contracted by PWD," PWD says.
Working concurrently, the bridge is expected to be finished in time for the last one- third of the road development.
Fairdeal Earthmoving Contractors bid $8,819,622.90 to win the project.
Mr Sikivou said the Natadola project would be a great challenge.
"The project is concerned with the upgrading of access roads designated as Maro Road and Naidiri Road and is to be phased to suit and compliments, any resort development" a PWD statement said .
One of the benefits of the development is that the trip to the beach will be a lot shorter and not just because of the tarseal.
"The existing road length is 23 kilometres and following realignment, the new road lengths will be eight kilometres on Maro Road and eight kilometres on Naidiri Road," PWD says.
The 8.8 million contract is for the first phase which is the upgrading of the Maro Road section.
It includes bulk earthworks operations of 500,000 square metres and 250,000 square metres of filling, culvert installation and association drainage, pavement works, and bituminous surface treatment.
"The project has a construction period of 17 months and is to be financed entirely by the Fiji Government," PWD says.
The second phase of the Natadola Road project will see it become a home- shoe, but government says this will depend on the response from the hotel industry and investors to the road development.
The ball, it seems, will now be in the industry's court.
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