The Land Transport Authority with the assistance of the Police will be using portable weighing machines on both ends of the Tamavua‑i‑Wai Bridge to check vehicles with possible heavy loads.
LTA General Manager Operations Faiyum Ali says their enforcement officers will be monitoring traffic during peak hours to ensure the 18‑tonne weight limit on all vehicles is followed.
This operation is expected to start tomorrow morning and the LTA stresses that only vehicles with heavy loads will be inspected.
Ali says the load restriction has been imposed because of safety concerns and trucks will need to lighten their loads to be allowed access.
An 18‑tonne load restriction was imposed on the Tamavua‑i‑Wai Bridge after FRA engineers inspected the damage section of a beam joint and raised concern about joints on the adjacent beams.
Fiji Roads Authority contractors have started repairs on the damaged section of the Tamavua‑i‑Wai Bridge and they are expected to complete the repair to the bridge by next Wednesday.
A crack in the steel beam under the bridge was discovered on Wednesday.
Following advice from the engineers, the FRA had no choice but to close one lane of the bridge and undertake the immediate repair.
FRA has been advised that the cause of this crack was most likely due to recent excessive loads from overweight vehicles.
This crack was not apparent in the original check on the structure in 2012 and during a more recent check in May 2015.
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