Fangaʻuta Lagoon Bridge Contract Finally Signed After Months of Delays
After months of on-again, off-again negotiations, Tonga’s long-anticipated lagoon bridge project has taken a decisive step forward. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and MEIDECC, Hon. Dr. Taniela Fusimalohi, has now signed a civil works agreement with Mr. Fraser Wyllie, Managing Director of McConnell Dowell Constructors Ltd, marking the official start of one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the kingdom’s recent history.
The agreement covers the construction of a 720-metre bridge across the Fangaʻuta Lagoon, together with 2.1 kilometres of approach roads. The design incorporates climate resilience features, recognising Tonga’s vulnerability to rising seas, stronger cyclones, and the urgent need for infrastructure that can withstand future shocks.
The contract, awarded to McConnell Dowell after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) issued its no-objection in July 2025, will run for three years, with completion targeted by the end of 2028. The company has already lodged its performance security, clearing the way for works to proceed.
Estimated at around USD $55 million, the bridge aims to ease congestion between Nukuʻalofa and southern Tongatapu, provide a reliable evacuation route during tsunamis and extreme weather, and support the relocation of low-lying communities threatened by climate change.
The Government is leading the early works and preparatory stages, while ADB’s final grant processing and board approvals are expected in the coming months. The Fangaʻuta Lagoon Bridge sits within the broader Tonga SECURE Project, which integrates transport and urban development under one programme. A dedicated Communication and Visibility Plan will ensure that updates are shared through national channels, complemented by ADB and World Bank platforms.
For many residents who regularly endure traffic bottlenecks travelling between Nukuʻalofa and Vaini, the project’s progress is more than a technical milestone. “We have been hearing about this bridge for years,” one commuter said. “To see it finally moving forward gives us hope that daily life will soon get easier.”
For Tonga, the signing is not just the beginning of construction but the end of a long chapter of uncertainty. The lagoon bridge has become a symbol of both the challenges and opportunities of development in the Pacific: complex, delayed, but ultimately essential. If completed on schedule, it will stand as a landmark of resilience and connection, reshaping how Tongatapu moves and responds to the pressures of a changing climate.
