The wooden bridges along South Road (Central Kwara’ae/West Kwaio) in Malaita will be repaired by the local contractor, Trades Transformation Company (TTC).
The Central Project Implementation Unit (CPIU) of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) clarified this following queries raised by some community residents.
This contractor was awarded the contract under the Australian-funded National Transport Fund (NTF) to undertake two major road works: sealing the first 5 km from Kwaibala to Oibola and repairs on the Maoa to Hauhui road section.
There were questions whether the bridges at Oibola, Maoro, and Afatafa in Central Kwara’ae, as well as Sinasu and Ngariwane in West Kwaio, would be included under the recently signed NTF road contracts.
Chief Civil Engineer of the CPIU, Lawrence Wawane, clarified that TTC contract covers four of these wooden bridges (Auki to Maoa) that are aged and in need of repair.
“The fifth bridge in West Kwaio will be repaired through contingencies allocated under TTC’s Maoa to Hauhui road maintenance contract.
“Over the years, high traffic has compromised these timber structures, marking the urgent need for repairs.
“We are grateful that this contract ensures these bridges will be repaired promptly, thereby improving safety and accessibility for road users across Central Kwara’ae, Langalanga, Kwaio, and Are’are regions,” said Mr. Wawane, who oversees civil works projects for the Malaita region.
TTC is currently mobilizing machinery to the project sites, with work expected to be completed by next year.
All the bridges in Malaita, along with those across the entire country, are recorded in MID’s Solomon Islands Transport Asset Management System (SITAMS), and maintaining this road asset remains a significant challenge due to several factors.
In the meantime, work on the Su’u and Bira Bridge for the West Kwaio road section is making good progress.
This project is financed by the World Bank under the Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project (SIRAP 2) component 2 on Climate Resilience and Safety Investments in the Road Sector. It also includes Kolofe 1 and 2 for the North Malaita Road.
– MID Press
