Bus services operating through the West Park area in Malé have been temporarily rerouted, with the West Park stop moved to Maafannu Madharusa as construction progresses on the next stage of the Boduthakurufaanu Magu redevelopment project.
Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) announced the changes after Haveeree Hingun near West Park was closed to traffic as part of ongoing road works.
The closure affects the Orchid Route and Orange Hiyaa Route, with buses on both services no longer stopping at West Park from Tuesday.
Instead, trips on the two routes will begin from the bus stop near Maafannu Madharusa until the road restrictions are lifted.
Changes have also been introduced for buses returning towards Maafannu.
Buses travelling from Henveiru along Majeedhee Magu will continue through Kanbaa Aisa Rani Hingun and stop at the Social Centre. They will then turn onto Sabudheli Magu before rejoining Majeedhee Magu and continuing along their regular routes.
MTCC apologised to passengers for the disruption and said further information on the temporary arrangements is available through its 1650 hotline.
The changes come as work gets underway on Phase 3 of the government’s project to widen and modernise Boduthakurufaanu Magu.
One side of the road around West Park has already been closed to allow construction work to proceed.
The wider redevelopment of Boduthakurufaanu Magu is being carried out by MTCC and was contracted to the company in April 2025.
The project involves widening sections of one of Malé’s busiest roads, resurfacing it with asphalt and upgrading drainage and other infrastructure in an effort to improve traffic movement and pedestrian access.
Earlier stages have already transformed sections of the road around the northern waterfront.
Land reclamation was carried out to widen parts of Boduthakurufaanu Magu, including the section between the Fish Market and Izzudheen Jetty, which was expanded to four lanes and opened in December last year.
Work subsequently continued along other sections towards the Henveiru side of the capital.
The government is now extending the redevelopment westwards towards the West Park and Maldives Ports Limited areas.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has described the stretch between MPL and Rasfannu as the most deteriorated remaining section of Boduthakurufaanu Magu.
He previously said redevelopment of the area would begin after completion of earlier phases, with improvements expected to strengthen access to Malé’s commercial and market districts and improve movement through the surrounding road network.
The President has also said the road widening will involve additional reclamation, with the reclaimed waterfront designed in a way that provides additional berthing space for vessels while construction progresses around the port area.
The work is taking place alongside the government’s plans to eventually free up the existing commercial port area through the relocation of Malé Commercial Harbour to Thilafushi.
The port relocation is one of the administration’s largest infrastructure projects and is scheduled to be fully completed by November 11, 2027.
Under the government’s plans, the new facilities in Thilafushi will accommodate international and domestic port operations, warehousing and other logistics services currently concentrated in Malé.
The government expects the relocation to reduce pressure on the capital while improving cargo handling and storage capacity.
In the meantime, construction around West Park will continue to affect traffic and public transport in the area, with the Maafannu Madharusa stop serving as the temporary starting point for the affected Orchid and Orange Hiyaa bus routes.
