Fiji Transport Infrastructure Investment Project

The objective of the Transport Infrastructure Investment Project for Fiji is to improve the resilience and safety of land and maritime transport infrastructure for users of project roads, bridges and rural jetties and wharves. The project would seek to prioritize investments in high poverty areas, including the poorer northern islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni. This prioritization would be realized by including poverty factors in the multi-criteria analysis used for the selection of sub-projects. The projects is made up of three components. The first component (Improvement of existing road and maritime sector assets) funds works to repair, rehabilitate, reconstruct or upgrade selected existing roads, bridges and rural jetties and wharves. Safety improvements on selected roads, bridges, rural jetties and wharves including road safety furniture and replacement of existing and/or installation of new streetlights would also be carried out. Where possible and appropriate, road, bridge and/or jetty sub-projects would be geographically packaged to reduce costs, attract competent contractors and maximize local impact. Component 2 (Technical assistance) consists of support establishing and maintaining a project supervision team at Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) to oversee project implementation, financing design and supervision consultants, updating design and construction standards for roads and bridges, undertaking International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) surveys and road safety audits, and piloting the use of open contracting, including geotagging. Finally, Component 3 (Capacity building) provides a grant for initiatives to build government capacity across the transport sector. Areas of focus are expected to include planning, assessing and managing infrastructure projects for staff from various ministries and agencies, including FRA.

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve the resilience and safety of land and maritime transport infrastructure for users of project roads, bridges and rural jetties and wharves. FTIIP comprises of three components:
a. Component 1: Improvement of Existing Road and Maritime Sector Assets (est. US$150.00 million). This component has been funding works and/or engineering studies to repair, rehabilitate, reconstruct or upgrade selected existing roads, bridges and rural jetties and wharves. Safety improvements on selected roads, bridges, rural jetties and wharves including road safety furniture and replacement of existing and/or installation of new streetlights have also been carried out. Where possible and appropriate, road, bridge and/or jetty sub-projects have been geographically packaged to reduce costs, attract competent contractors and maximize local impact.
b. Component 2: Technical Assistance (est. US$16.70 million), consisting of support to establish and maintain a project supervision team at Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) to oversee project implementation, finance design and supervision consultants, update design and construction standards for roads and bridges, and undertake iRAP surveys and road safety audits.
c. Component 3: Capacity Building (est. US$0.80 million). As a parallel activity, ADB has provided a grant for initiatives to build government capacity across the transport sector. Areas of focus include planning, assessing and managing infrastructure projects from various ministries and agencies, including FRA.

Output 1: length of roads (km) rehabilitated to revised standards for resilience, number of community assets installed that benefit women, FRA increased the number of staff, GIS established, design standards issued, 10 bridges redesigned, and 3 jetties detailed designs completed.
Output 2: length of roads (km) rehabilitated to revised standards for safety, number of community assets installed that benefit women, number of streetlights Installed

Outcome 1: population have access to more resilient roads, FRA institutional capacity enhanced to better plan, manage and execute road projects:
• 382 km of FRA roads were constructed to revised standards for resilience exceeding the both the original target of 100 km and the revised target of 300 km. The original target of 100 km was increased to 300 km during restructuring to align with the GoF's heightened focus on road works.
• 700,000 people were having access to resilient roads based on revised standards exceeding the target of 600,000.
• 3 detailed designs for jetties/ wharves and 40 for bridges bridge were expected to be completed and ready to be procured. This outcome was expected to be completed under ADB's loan extension of 2 years
• The project rehabilitated and upgraded critical roads, namely Suva Arterial Road (Foster Road), Queens Road, Kings Road, which helped enhance their resilience to adverse weather. The project exceeded its target for road rehabilitation as noted above. This improvement in road quality enhanced road resilience, especially for rural communities reliant on safe and accessible roads. The project also contributed to future resilience-building efforts by completing detailed designs for 10 critical bridges, with designs for the remaining 30 bridges along with designs for 3 jetties, expected to be finalized under the ADB loan extension. The project also contributed to improving infrastructure planning and asset management through establishing GIS, updating road designs and increasing FRA staff.
Outcome 2: length of roads (km) meeting 3-Star rating for safety according to the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP):
• 100 km of roads had a minimum 3-Star rating for vehicle occupants based on iRAP assessments compared to a baseline of 25 km. This exceeded both the original target of 65 km and fully achieved the revised target of 100 km. The original target of 65 km was increased to 100 km during restructuring.
• The project made notable progress in improving road safety for users. It exceeded its target for streetlight installation, and key safety features were integrated into road designs. These improvements were expected to reduce accidents, particularly for vulnerable groups such as pedestrians, girls, cyclists, and people with disabilities. The project exceeded its outcome target for improving road safety ratings as noted above. The project-supported upgrades were expected to significantly improve safety and reduce the risk of accidents across Fiji’s road network. Therefore, the efficacy of the project in achieving this objective is rated Substantial.
Key achievements for Component 3: Capacity Building include:
• Establishment of a GIS database to improve infrastructure planning and asset management.
• Development and issuance of new design standards (2019) for road and bridge construction.
• Execution of road safety audits and iRAP assessments, ensuring evidence-based decision-making for road safety interventions.
• Despite initial staffing constraints, FRA’s capacity improved over time, with staff numbers increasing from 135 (November 2017) to 173 (April 2024).

• A Gender Action Plan (GAP) was developed for the project. The improved road infrastructure was expected to positively impact women’s access to markets, enabling them to travel more frequently and easily to sell products and source materials for their businesses. Further, women employed in the tourism industry would benefit from the enhanced road conditions, which was expected to make their daily commute more reliable and accessible.
• 1,012 community assets were established to benefit women exceeding the revised target of 500.
• The project design considered gender-related issues for 93% of the infrastructure, slightly below the target of 100%
• length of roads (km) rehabilitated to revised standards for safety, number of community assets installed that benefit women, number of streetlights Installed
• Further, women employed in the tourism industry would benefit from the enhanced road conditions, which was expected to make their daily commute more reliable and accessible.
• Overall, the RF reflected relevant indicators, but the "community assets constructed that benefit women," proved challenging to define and measure accurately.

1. Improvement of Existing Road & Maritime Assets (appraisal cost: USD 150,000,000.00, actual cost: USD 145,000,000.00).
2. Technical Assistance (appraisal cost: USD 16,700,000.00, actual cost: USD 10,000,000.00).
3. Capacity Building (appraisal cost: USD 800,000.00, actual cost: USD 1,600,000.00).
4. Project Cost. The total project cost was estimated at USD 167,500,000.00. The actual cost according to the ICR Data Sheet (page ii) was USD 49,760,000.00. The difference was due to the extension of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) co-financing loan by two years beyond the World Bank (WB) loan.
5. Financing. The project was financed through a USD 50,000,000.00 loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). Also, the ADB co-financed the project through a USD 100,700,000.00 loan. The actual amount disbursed according to the ICR Data Sheet (page ii) was USD 49,760,000.00.
6. Borrower Contribution. The Government of Fiji was expected to contribute USD 16,800,000.00 of counterpart funding. The ICR did no report the actual amount contributed.
7. Dates. The project was approved on March 11, 2015 and became effective 17 months later on August 10, 2016. The project was closed on June 30, 2024 which was four years beyond the original closing date on June 30, 2020.