A Chinese company has been contracted to redevelop the Addu Link Road, with plans to widen a 12.3-kilometre stretch of the key southern road into four lanes.
The project has been awarded to Hong Kong-based Rotime Engineering and Technology Co., Ltd, which will carry out the expansion and modernisation of the road between Detour Bridge and Hithadhoo Stadium.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib on behalf of the government, while Rotime Engineering Managing Director Zhou Weidong signed for the company.
Under the project, the existing Link Road will be widened to four lanes along the 12.3-kilometre section, significantly increasing the capacity of one of Addu City’s most important transport routes.
Muththalib has previously said the redevelopment will be carried out without completely closing the Link Road to vehicles, allowing traffic to continue using the route while construction is underway.
The latest agreement also marks a change in how the project will be implemented.
Parts of the Link Road redevelopment had previously been assigned to the state-owned Road Development Corporation (RDC). Heavy machinery required for the project was transported to Addu, and clearing work had already begun earlier this year.
However, the Infrastructure Ministry later removed the Link Road component from RDC’s scope and decided to contract the work to another company. The project has now been handed over to Rotime Engineering.
The redevelopment addresses a longstanding concern for residents of Addu, where the condition of the Link Road has been the subject of complaints for years.
The road, which opened in 2003, has undergone repairs on several occasions, but residents say its overall condition has continued to deteriorate. Poor road conditions have also raised safety concerns, with numerous serious accidents reported along the route over the years, including crashes that resulted in fatalities.
As a major artery connecting communities across Addu, the Link Road plays an important role in daily travel and the movement of people and goods through the city. The planned four-lane expansion is expected to provide additional capacity while addressing the deteriorated condition of the existing road.
