Kaudamu Sinkhole undergoes restoration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
21st February 2017
KAUDAMU SINKHOLE UNDERGOES RESTORATION
Reinstatement work at the sinkhole in Kaudamu junction at Kinoya Road is now underway.
Fulton Hogan Hiways (FHH) is working under the Fiji Roads Authority Maintenance programme to provide road access to the Central, Northern and Eastern divisions.
FHH crewmen are now installing three new culverts at the site, which was discovered to be a soil washout beneath the road on the 10th of January 2017.
Sanjesh Prasad, FHH Special Project Engineer, said that the washout was generated from a WAF water main leak, which weakened the base of two culverts and had caused the culverts to dislocate and sink.
“We had to dig out the existing culverts, which were damaged, and excavate six metres deep of that wash out area so that we can pump out and divert the water before installing three new culverts,” he said.
The works are made more difficult by the existence of a number of services including a WAF water mains of 400mm diameter, a water mains of 150mm, various water feeder lines and TFL service lines.
A crew of seven men are currently working at the site with an excavator and two trucks carting materials.
Following the culvert installation, Mr Prasad said, they will backfill the hole, reconstruct the pavement and overlay with asphalt before reinstating line marking.
The crew has also constructed a temporary walkway to provide pedestrians with safe access.
Motorists are advised to use Vesivesi Road as an alternative route while Kaudamu Road is temporarily closed for reinstatement work