Caption: The Fulton Hogan Hiways team building the retainer wall as part of the Government Station Road upgrade. Photo: SUPPLIED.
SEPTEMBER 24 2015. Rehabilitation works undertaken by Fulton Hogan Hiways (FHH) on 1.5 kilometers of the Government Station Road at Vaturekuka in Labasa are underway.
The road had badly deteriorated over many years but since May, the road has gradually been improved as FHH progressed with preparation work under its contract with the Fiji Roads Authority.
“We completed preparation works for the first 500 meters in May which took approximately one week to finish. The next section of the road is in such a bad state that you cannot come up here unless you’re on a four-wheel drive,” said FHH Stabilizing and Construction Crew Supervisor George Hughes.
“We will be stripping away all existing materials, pre-hoeing it, adding more aggregate, reshaping the road and stabilizing it with cement before finishing it with a chip seal surface.
At the bottom of the slope between the prison and the church, an existing landslip is being re-enforced with a gabion wall, after preliminary works revealed a dangerous construction flaw in that part of the road.
“We found 20 gallon drums cut in half and filled with rocks and put in there as a retaining wall which is completely unsafe because it’s quite a long way down to the bottom of the gulley, if you get too close to the edge and your vehicle rolls over. So we’ve taken all that out and are putting in gabion baskets, which are a lot safer,” said FHH Construction Manager Northern Scott Wilkinson.
The road is the only access to all Government quarters in Labasa as well as a number of Government departments such as the Labasa Prison and Land Transport Authority.
Maintaining the road network is a major part of the Fulton Hogan Hiways responsibilities under the area maintenance contract they hold with the Fiji Roads Authority.
For further information please contact George Rubine on 7723853 or email virgo@connect.com.fj
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