Queen Elizabeth Drive Road: $4.2 million over budget and 3 years late – FRA

The Queen Elizabeth Drive Road Project in Suva which was initially supposed to take 1 year and 5 months to complete has gone over budget by $4.2 million, and has taken over 3 years to complete, and the total cost will now be $62.944 million(VEP).

The Fiji Roads Authority says the contract was awarded to China Railway No.5 Engineering Group Fiji Limited and the certified sum for the project until November 2023 was $56,616 million(VEP).

FRA says this was due to the significant changes in the design works to meet climate resilience guidelines in the contract as the whole pavement was raised above sea level.

They say the Queen Elizabeth Drive project is ongoing, and it is anticipated that the value of the remaining work will be around $5.5 million until completion.

They add to avoid land acquisition, the road alignment was shifted towards the sea and the final contract amount after completion will be $62.944 million (VEP).

FRA says these will be inclusive of associated works such as boat ramp, service lane, and improvised parking facilities which were not part of the original design.

The project is scheduled to be completed by 31st March 2024, subject to weather conditions.

FRA says this is due to various factors such as design changes, delays owing to supply chain issues from the utility service providers, non-availability of materials like bitumen, and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They say there have been variations to the project due to design changes and associated costs, resulting in an additional cost of $4.2 million.

When fijivillage News asked why they are building narrow roads, and why are we not future-proofing our roads, FRA says the Queen Elizabeth Drive project was not designed to be a main trunk road and was designed with additional emphasis on recreational and leisure purposes.

FRA says priority was given to the road design and infrastructure that is climate resilient, environmentally friendly and this include improved road safety features, particularly to accommodate schools, educational institutes, and the general public.