Millions of paʻanga in penalty costs continue to accumulate each month as construction of Tonga’s US$97 million Fangaʻuta Lagoon bridge remains stalled, with Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua revealing that further land disputes have emerged since the contract was signed last year.
The continuing disputes have left the government negotiating with landowners over compensation and other matters that Fakafanua said should have been resolved before the contract was signed and before the New Zealand contractor was allowed to mobilise to Tonga.
Fakafanua said land negotiations were among the most difficult aspects of the process and should have been settled beforehand. The bridge construction contract was signed at a ceremony presided over by the King.
Signed in September 2025 by the former ʻAisake Eke government and McConnell Dowell Constructors Ltd, the project includes a 720-metre bridge across Fangaʻuta Lagoon and 2.1 kilometres of approach roads linking Nukuʻalofa with southern Tongatapu. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2028.
Mounting costs of delays
As Kaniva News recently reported, former Infrastructure Minister Sēmisi Sika said in an interview with us that the project’s main construction phase remained on hold because of unresolved land issues at ʻUmusī, where the northern end of the bridge is expected to begin.
He said the contractor was carrying out preliminary work where possible, but construction across the lagoon could not begin until the land issues were settled.
The prolonged delay has resulted in substantial financial penalties for the government. Sika said about $7 million in penalty fees were paid during the six months from September 2025 to February 2026.
With the land issues unresolved and construction yet to begin, Sika said the government was likely to incur another $7 million in penalties over the following six months through August, potentially bringing the total to $14 million.
Lord Fakafanua later confirmed at a press conference that the government had received the claims from McConnell Dowell, but said there was a possibility of reducing the amount through a value engineering process that could lower the costs of some materials.
Further land issues revealed
However, the Prime Minister told TBC’s Viola Ulakai during a livestreamed interview this week that he had recently discovered there were also land issues at Lord Veikune’s Longoteme lands near Folaha, where the southern section of the bridge is planned, with compensation negotiations yet to be settled.
This comes amid negotiations over affected land ‘Umusī also remain unresolved.
The latest comments come after Kaniva News sought clarification from Lord Fakafanua regarding conflicting public statements on the project’s progress, compensation claims, project costs, and the status of the land disputes.
‘Umisī land compensation claims
We also sought confirmation of reports that a landowner at ʻUmusī was seeking $10 million in compensation from the government and that a Chinese business owner leasing part of the affected land was seeking a further $12 million.
Among the questions was whether relocating the bridge’s starting point away from the disputed area would remove the reported $22 million compensation claim and whether any agreement had been reached with the affected parties.
Kaniva News also requested clarification over the cost of the ongoing delays.
We also asked Lord Fakafanua whether he would seek any compensation or lease arrangement for the use of land within his estate at ʻUmusī, where part of the bridge is expected to pass.
As of publication, the Prime Minister’s Office had not responded to those questions.
Kaniva News remains willing to publish any response from the Prime Minister or the government as soon as it is received.
