Press Release
1st August 2024
Malaita Traffic Surveys Provide Essential Data for Upgrades and Maintenance
In an important step towards improving the management and upgrades of roads in Malaita, a traffic survey was conducted in Malaita on 24 and 25 July to collect information on residents’ travel choices, vehicle travel patterns, and traffic volumes on the roads. The survey determined annual average daily traffic and provides important information on changes of traffic volumes in Auki, on East Road, the Auki-Dala section of North Road, and the Auki- Kwaibala section of South Road which had their last traffic surveys undertaken in December 2019. The survey also assessed the safe passage of heavy class vehicles on bridges within these road sections. This traffic survey is supported by the World Bank through the Second Solomon Islands Roads and Aviation Project (SIRAP2) and is implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development.
The survey included traffic count and traffic volume assessments, tallying vehicles traveling in both directions at 15-minute intervals. Intersection traffic volumes were measured by counting passing vehicles, and an origin-destination survey was conducted through interviews with passengers and pedestrians.
Allan Lilia, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, highlighted the survey’s significance in supporting economic analysis underpinning the improvement of the Malaita Road Network under the Solomon Islands Roads and Aviation Project (SIRAP). This includes the rehabilitation of 17 km of the Auki-Dala section of North Road, rehabilitation of the first 21km of East Road from Dala junction, and the replacement of three single-span bridges (Bio1, Bio2, and Koa) on North Road. The Permanent Secretary emphasized that the updated data will be critical for making informed decisions on future investments in Malaita’s roads and bridges.
In addition to the traffic survey, World Bank support through SIRAP2 includes the construction of four new bridges in Malaita (Kolofe1 & Kolofe2 Bridges on North Road, and Su’u Harbour & Bira Bridges on South Road), road upgrades in Noro, enhancements to Honiara, Munda, and Santa Cruz Airports, upgrades to air navigation systems in Makira-Ulawa and Temotu Provinces, and maintenance support at Honiara and Munda International Airports.
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