New Vuniyasi Bridge on Fiji’s main Queen’s Highway Opened

Australia’s High Commissioner and Special Envoy for the Pacific & Regional Affairs, His Excellency, Ewen McDonald attended the opening ceremony of the newly constructed Vuniyasi Bridge in Nadi on 23 February 2024, alongside representatives from the Fiji Roads Authority. In his keynote address, His Excellency said the new bridge marked another milestone in the strong Vuvale Partnership between Fiji and Australia, underscoring the shared vision for quality and resilient infrastructure. 

The construction of the new Vuniyasi Bridge was supported by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) under the ongoing Restoring roads and bridges across Fiji project, a FJ$117 million investment that has enabled the resealing of 1.5 million square meters of road surface throughout Fiji and the replacement of nine critical bridges on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu. 

The Vuniyasi Bridge, which spans 69 meters in length, serves as a critical transportation link between major towns and cities located on the Eastern half of Viti Levu and the Western Division, via the Queen’s Highway. It is the only link along Queen’s Highway to Nadi Town, tourism hubs, Nadi international airport and greater parts of the Western Division. 

To ensure the new bridge is climate resilient, it has a 100-year design life and the ability to withstand a one in 100-year rainfall event. It has also been built two meters higher than the old bridge to mitigate the risk of overtopping.  

The project comes as part of Australia’s Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership, delivering climate infrastructure which assists our Pacific and Timor-Leste partners mitigate, adapt, and build resilience in the face of changing climate.

Australia is committed to supporting Fiji and our broader Pacific family with further critical transport infrastructure upgrades in the years ahead.