Press Release
7th May 2024
Upgrades for Malaita’s North Road to be Completed This Month
Maintenance and upgrades to 17 kilometers of Malaita’s North Road from Gwaunaru’u Junction to the intersection of the East Road at Dala near Forcim Market are in their final stage and are expected to be completed by the end of this month. The upgrades are supported by the World Bank through the Solomon Islands Roads and Aviation Project (SIRAP) and are being implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID).
Overall, the works are 90 percent complete and MID staff, the Project Support Team, and the contractor and supervision consultant are currently in the field to assess the ongoing works. This includes identifying the remaining 10 percent of works, correcting some upgrades and the decommissioning plan. In addition, quality assurance and environmental impacts of the works will be inspected. Remaining works include pouring of 200m concrete pavement, installing five culverts, and completing drainage. The contractor will also carry out corrective identified by the supervising consultant during the inspections.
Acting Permanent Secretary of the MID, Allan Lilia said, “The government is committed to improving roads in Malaita and around the country and encourage people living along the roads to look after them. These upgrades will ease burdens for local communities while improving access to markets and social services including schools and health facilities. This will create benefits for Malaitans that the Ministry is proud to be supporting”, he further added.
The World Bank is also supporting the Second Solomon Islands Roads and Aviation Project (SIRAP2), which is constructing four new bridges in Malaita (Kolofe1, Kolofe2, Su’u Harbor, and Bira Bridges); upgrading roads in Noro; providing upgrades to Honiara, Munda, and Santa Cruz Airports; upgrading air navigation systems in Makira-Ulawa and Temotu Provinces; and supporting airport maintenance.
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