While an increasing number of jetties get new life, but the engineers designing them are facing some of the most challenging conditions around.
MWH Global Technical Delivery manager for Fiji, Don Clifford, said the marine environment itself presents its own set of challenges.
“You need wave environment experts, plus geotechnical expertise and equipment, there are big safety issues, and it all needs to be very carefully planned and controlled,” he said.
“You only get to do the job once. So mistakes can be extremely costly, which is why the investigative work to make sure the solutions are right for the environment, and the specialist equipment, is so important.”
Special pile drivers that can go deeper than their land-based counterparts have been brought in.
Barges with tailored counter-weights and marine-hardy drilling, boring and pumping machines are also now part of Fiji’s construction landscape.
The extent of the work the Fiji Roads Authority is doing speaks to both the importance of jetties as access points for so many people, and the change in thinking that goes hand in hand with the quest for more robust, lasting solutions.
Mr Clifford said: “We often hear people say ‘it’s just a jetty’ when talking about building or fixing them.
“But in a country that is so reliant on being able to move goods, produce and people by boat, there is no such thing.
“Every jetty needs its own individual design and engineering to reduce the chance that it will be washed, or blown, away in a storm.
“Good design and build also helps jetties last longer and makes them easier to repair so that they are out of commission for shorter periods when extreme weather hits.”
Opportunities
Mr Clifford said the scale of the work means there is the opportunity for many people to learn new skills.
“Because jetties haven’t been built in Fiji for years, local expertise has waned,” he said.
“This is an opportunity for people to get trained, up-skill themselves, and take much of this work forward from a local perspective in the future so Fiji doesn’t have to look offshore so much in the years to come.
“The whole idea is to upskill people alongside the work that is being done over the next few years so that, instead of Fiji having to bring so many experts in, people here can become the experts.”
Extensive maintenance programmes are put in place for each jetty that is repaired or rebuilt so it can stay in good condition throughout its expected 50-to-100-year lifespan.