The Asian Development Bank has approved $199.5 million in loans and grants to fund the replacement of critical bridges on Fiji’s main island to improve domestic transport connectivity.

The Critical Bridges Resilience Project is funded by a $120 million ADB concessional loan and a $14.5 million grant financed by the Asian Development Fund (ADF), 13 Thematic Pool, under its disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation strategic area.

The ADF provides grants to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable developing member countries.

The Fiji Government is providing $15 million in counterpart financing.

The project is proposed to be jointly co-financed by the World Bank with a $50 million loan.

ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office Regional Director Aaron Batten says the construction of the four bridges in Lami, Medraukutu, Sabeto and Viseisei will transform domestic connectivity providing better linkages to markets, schools, and health services.

Fiji’s transport infrastructure, especially roads and bridges, faces the brunt of impacts from natural disasters and climate change.

As a result, the transport sector requires significant investment to build the country’s resilience.

The project will construct four main bridges that will be resilient to climate change and disasters.

The bridges and their approach roads will be replaced with adequate space for sidewalks and road safety elements.

The project will enhance the capacity of the Fiji Roads Authority in asset management and preparing gender-responsive policies and investments.

The ADF grant will fund part of the construction cost of the bridges, covering the incremental costs of the resilience of the bridges to disasters, especially earthquakes and liquefaction.

It will also be used to prepare an upstream, transport sector-wise multi-hazard social and gender vulnerability assessment and investment road map.