Road Repair Projects in Malaita Province Commences

Three local contractors recently awarded major road repair projects funded by Australia across Malaita Province, have mobilized and begun their work.

Exodus Trade Development has begun repairs on Busurata Road in Central Kwara’ae, from Ambu Junction to Okwala Community, covering approximately 15 kilometres. As of last week, they reached Aisalinga Village-8 km of the route.

Managing Director Jeremiah Fono’ota shared that their road crew expects to reach the finishing point before the end of next month. The road runs through one of Malaita’s agricultural regions in the highlands of Kwara’ae.

“Heavy rainfall has caused some delays, but we remain optimistic to work within the scheduled timeframe,” Mr. Fono’ota said.

“We are also bringing in additional machinery from Honiara to help boost our operations.”

He added that they have engaged 25 experienced laborers familiar with road upgrade projects. Their team performs patrol grading first, followed by regraveling. They also clear drainage systems and remove vegetation along the route.

Meanwhile in the far Northeast, FT Builders and Civil Works has started maintenance on a 37.89-kilometer stretch of unsealed road into the Fataleka region. As of last week, their crew has reached Fasileta area.

“Over the last two weeks, our team focused on clearing, drainage improvements, and regravelling to improve the road surface,” said Felix Talisia, Managing Director of FT Civil Construction.

“This will be our longest road project to date, from Fousasa stretching to Subobono River mouth on the border of the Baegu region.”

Along Malaita’s South Road, Trades Transformation Company (TTC) has mobilized and shipped larger machinery from Honiara to Auki. They are responsible for two contracts: sealing the first 5 kilometres from Kwaibala to Oibola and rehabilitating a 33-km section from Maoa (West Kwaio) to Hauhui (West Are’are). The entire project is scheduled to take 12 months.

TTC spokesperson Raymond Steven explained that the team will be divided into two groups, with one working on the sealing section and another on the Maoa-Hauhui road.

“Some of our machinery for the unsealed road works is currently stationed at Buma in West Kwaio.”

“Our technical team is finalizing the design after completing the pre-construction survey for the sealing project,” the project engineer said.

“Once all machinery and laborers are on-site, work will begin in coming days.”

The Central Project Implementation Unit (CPIU) of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) continues to supervise these road repair works and ensure quality standards are maintained throughout all phases.

These Malaita Road improvements represent an investment of nearly SBD 40 million, fully funded by the Australian Government through the National Transport Fund (NTF), with another SBD 20 million for upgrade works in Honiara.

Minister Hon. Ricky Fuo’o expressed the national government’s gratitude for Red Kangaroo’s ongoing support towards infrastructure development.

This complements the government’s 2017-2035 National Transport Plan (NTP), which aims to improve transport infrastructure by emphasizing accessibility, safety, and efficiency to foster social and economic development.

Australian chargé d’affaires, Andrew Schloeffel, said he was impressed with the rapid rollout of road improvements to key national roads in Malaita and Honiara—which provided a model for maximizing local jobs and local capacity with Australia’s support.

“Solomon Islanders are leading in planning and delivering quality infrastructure—and Australia is proud to play our part.”

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-MRD Press Release