A substantial amount of funding has been approved for the construction of Queen Elizabeth Drive in Nasese, Suva, despite inadequate assessment processes, as revealed by the Minister for Public Works and Transport, Ro Filipe Tuisawau.
An audit conducted from 2021 to 2023 highlighted several irregularities, estimating contract variations between $300 million to $400 million, raising concerns for the Minister. The renovation of Queen Elizabeth Drive, which was initially scheduled to take one and a half years, extended over nearly four years, leading to significant cost overruns. An investigation is currently underway regarding these issues.
The project received an initial allocation of $25 million when it began in 2019. Ro Filipe expressed concerns about the excessive total costs and suggested that funds could have been better utilized on other neglected projects.
Atunaisa Nayago, Chairman of the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA), noted that the project adhered to its design and was overseen by a consultant. He explained that the road was elevated by one meter as part of a climate resilience initiative, which may have contributed to project delays, although all costs have been properly documented and audited.
The project also involves constructing a new bridge and land reclamation efforts stretching approximately 200 meters long and 34 meters wide, which could have environmental impacts and implications for coastal resilience. Ro Filipe emphasized that all projects are typically required to undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and meet compliance requirements before initiation.
Concerns have emerged regarding the contract awarding process and adherence to proper bidding protocols. Ro Filipe highlighted the necessity for effective monitoring of contract performance to curtail cost variations and ensure adherence to specifications.
He stated that lessons learned from this project would be integrated into future policies, procedures, and compliance processes, including tendering and contractor evaluations. Claims emerged that significant contract variations were approved by the board without sufficient assessment, a matter currently under investigation, prompting a review of FRA’s internal processes to avoid similar costly errors in the future.
Nayago further confirmed that some construction delays were attributable to challenges in land acquisition for the project. The allegations regarding the costs are now being looked into by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).