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Preparatory Survey Report on the Project for the Reconstruction of Tamavua-I-Wai Bridge

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Preparatory Survey Report on the Project for the Reconstruction of Tamavua-I-Wai Bridge Republic of Fiji Ministry of Infrastructure and Meteorological Services Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) Preparatory Survey Report on the Project for the Reconstruction of Tamavua-i-wai Bridge July 2020 JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (JICA) Central Consultant Inc. IM JR 20-011 Republic of Fiji Ministry of Infrastructure and Meteorological Services Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) Preparatory Survey Report on the Project for the Reconstruction of Tamavua-i-wai Bridge July 2020 JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (JICA) Central Consultant Inc. PREFACE The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has decided to conduct a preparatory survey for cooperation on the Tamavua-i-wai Bridge replacement project in the Republic of Fiji, and it has contracted Central Consultant Inc. to conduct this survey. The survey team held discussions with Fijian government officials from April 11 to May 31, 2018 and conducted fieldwork in the area to be covered by the project. After returning to Japan, the survey team conducted in-country work, which has resulted in the completion of this report. I hope that this report will contribute to the implementation of the project and to the further development of friendship and goodwill between Japan and Fiji. In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have cooperated with and supported this project. July 2020 Amada Kiyoshi Director General, Infrastructure Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency SUMMARY (1) Overview of the Country Fiji is a country in Oceania, with its capital in Suva on the island of Viti Levu. It is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean formed of the Fiji Islands and the protectorate of Rotuma Island about 500 km to the north. It consists of more than 300 volcanic islands and coral reefs. Fiji has a land area of 18,274 km2, a total population of approx. 890,000 (2017: Fiji Bureau of Statistics), and a population density of 49 people/km2. Vanuatu is to the west, Tonga is to the east, and Tuvalu is to the north. Fiji has a typical tropical rainforest climate with a high temperature and high rainfall. Generally, the rainy season is from November to April of the following year, and the dry season is from May to October. The maximum monthly average rainfall during the rainy season observed at Suva’s observing station over the past 5 years was 513 mm (December), and the minimum monthly average rainfall during the dry season was 83 mm (June). The monthly average maximum temperature observed at Suva observing station (over the past 5 years) was 31.7°C (February), and the minimum temperature was 21.2°C (July). The difference between the maximum temperature and minimum temperature is small, with a maximum difference of 6.7°C (February). Fiji’s GDP (gross domestic product) is USD 5.479 billion (2018: World Bank), and the GDP per capita is USD 6,156 (2018: World Bank). GNI (gross national income) per capita is USD 5,860 (2018: World Bank). Real GDP growth is 5.0% (2018: World Bank), price inflation is 0% (2018: World Bank), and the total trade value is USD 861.5 million for exports and USD 2,785 million for imports (2018: Asian Development Bank). Major trade items include exports of clothing, sugar, gold, fish, and wood chips; and imports of machinery and transport equipment, industrial products, foodstuffs, miscellaneous goods, chemicals, and mineral fuels. Fiji’s main industries are tourism, sugar, and clothing. The share of GDP is 13.4% for primary industry (agriculture, forestry and fisheries), 18.1% for secondary industry (mining, manufacturing, construction, and electricity), and 68.5% for tertiary industry (wholesale, retail, transportation, information and communication, finance, and other services). In Fiji, the economic growth rate was negative 6.6% in 2007, immediately after the coup d'etat in December 2006, and then improved to 0.2% in 2008. However, the economic growth rate then fell to negative 3% in 2009 due to the decline in the sugar industry and the global economic crisis. In particular, the sugar industry, which has supported the Fijian economy for many years, is facing problems such as aging machinery. Since 2011, the Fijian economy has been generally stable, with growth in the 2% to 5% range. (2) Project background, conditions, and overview Although there are about 1,231 bridges in Fiji, many of them are aging and there is generally not enough of a budget for renewal, and this is an issue. In addition, according to the Global Risks Report (FY2016) of the United Nations University, the disaster risk indicator for Fiji ranks high at 16th i among 171 countries ranked. Fiji frequently experiences cyclone damage, and Cyclone Winston in February 2016 caused damage equivalent to approx. 30% of the GDP. The Tamavua-i-wai Bridge that is the target of the Project for the Reconstruction of Tamavua-i-wai Bridge (hereinafter, the “Project”) was built in 1975 in the western suburbs of the capital of Suva on Viti Levu Island as a bridge on Queens Road, which is a southbound ring road circling the island. The second largest city Lautoka and Nadi International Airport are located in the northwestern part of Viti Levu Island, and Queens Road is the only major arterial road that allows the passage of large vehicles. In addition, because there is no detour road around this bridge, it both supports the economic growth of the country and serves as an important lifeline for the community, as approx. 15,000 vehicles travel over the bridge every day. However, the road surface and structure have been damaged by overloading it with vehicles, and the bridge piers have suffered serious damage due to salt damage and floating wreckage from Cyclone. Although emergency repairs have been conducted as required, full repairs have not been achieved, which means that it would not be unusual for the existing bridge to collapse, so a prompt response is required. Responding to these circumstances is one of the priorities of the infrastructure division of the government of Fiji. Furthermore, the Fiji Roads Authority positions the Project as one of the nine bridge renewal projects with the highest priority. This Project is the most important of these projects because it is on a major arterial road, has high volumes of traffic, and the longest bridge length. In addition, disaster prevention has been stated as the first of the seven priority issues at the 7th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting held in 2015 in Japan. The Project is positioned as an environment, climate change, and disaster prevention program that are Japan's assistance priority areas under the Republic of Fiji Project Deployment Plan (2016). In addition, disaster prevention was analyzed as a priority work area in the Asia-Pacific JICA Analysis Paper by Country (2014), and the Project is consistent with this policy and analysis. Japan has supported areas such as human resource development, institution building, and policy making support through the dispatch of experts including advisor for regional disaster risk reduction in this sector (September 2016 to August 2018). Under these circumstances, the government of Fiji has requested grant assistance from the government of Japan for the replacement of the Tamavua-i-wai Bridge to ensure the functioning of the arterial road and to provide access to Suva, the capital city of Fiji, in the event of a disaster. The objectives of this survey were to confirm the necessity and appropriateness of the requested project, to prepare an appropriate outline design for the grant aid project, to formulate a project plan, and to estimate project costs. (3) Overview of survey results and contents of the project At the Eighth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (May 2018), strengthening the basis for resilient and sustainable development and the further implementation of disaster management capabilities were set as priorities, and the Development Cooperation Policy for Fiji (April 2019) identified support for overcoming vulnerabilities and environment and climate change as priority areas. Accordingly, this project is consistent with disaster management program, which is one of the development agendas of ii the priority area environment and climate change. In addition, it has been confirmed that the project would be conducive to the pursuit of economic prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific region with a view to enhancing connectivity through the development of a land transport network. During the preparatory survey in Fiji from April 11 to May 31, 2018, a survey team was dispatched to Fiji for a preparatory survey (general design survey), where the main points of the survey were investigated and confirmed through discussions with the Fijian counterparts, mainly with regard to the alignment of the bridge location and approach roads, the longitudinal section plan of the bridge and approach roads, the cross section configuration of the bridge and roadway, bridge type, environmental and social considerations, natural conditions, traffic volume, procurement of construction materials and equipment, and the operation, maintenance, and management structure. Based on the results of the field survey, the location of the bridge, the alignment of the approach roads, the longitudinal section of the bridge and mounting road, and the construction plan were studied and an estimate of project costs was made. After conducting general design in Japan, the results and the costs to be borne by counterparts were explained and discussed with Fiji, and an agreement was reached. The content of the agreement is that the current and future traffic volumes in Fiji require the development of a four-lane bridge. Because the government of Fiji is building a new bridge downstream of the existing bridge as an emergency response to the deteriorating existing bridge, this will be used as a detour during the construction period so that the existing bridge can be demolished, and the main bridge will be constructed at the location of the existing bridge.
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