Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has begun laying asphalt on Segment 1 of Ameenee Magu, moving the ongoing reconstruction of the damaged western section of the road into its final stages.
The asphalt works follow the completion of subgrade repairs and the laying of the Aggregate Base Course (ABC), along with the application of the MC-30 prime coat to prepare the road for its new surface.
Segment 1 covers approximately 270 metres from Izzudheen Magu, near the Voice of Maldives building, to the park adjacent to Dharumavantha Hospital.
Once asphalt works on the section are completed and the road is reopened to traffic, MTCC plans to shift operations to Segment 2, which will extend from the Voice of Maldives area towards Ghiyasuddin International School.
The wider rehabilitation project is expected to be completed by November.
Alongside resurfacing the road, changes are being made to pavement layouts around bus stops. The redesign is intended to improve the durability of areas exposed to frequent use by buses and other heavy vehicles.
The government awarded the repair works to MTCC on June 15 following significant deterioration of sections of Ameenee Magu, particularly towards the western end of the road.
Physical works on Segment 1 began in early August after MTCC completed surveys of the affected areas. The existing asphalt was removed before crews carried out repairs to the road’s underlying layers and began rebuilding the surface.
The latest repairs come less than three years after Ameenee Magu underwent a major redevelopment.
The previous MVR 84.4 million project, carried out by Road Development Corporation (RDC), covered approximately 1.79 kilometres of the road. The project was launched during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, while the remaining sections were completed after President Dr Mohamed Muizzu assumed office.
The redevelopment was fully completed in January 2024.
However, sections of the road subsequently began showing signs of deterioration, with potholes, uneven surfaces and sections of asphalt buckling. The western end near the Harbour Food Court and Dharumavantha Hospital was among the areas most severely affected.
The section has also become one of the more heavily used stretches of Ameenee Magu, accommodating two-way traffic and regular movement of large buses.
Issues with the underlying road structure have been cited among the factors contributing to the deterioration. Authorities and technical assessments have previously pointed to inadequate compaction of material beneath the asphalt, which can cause the road surface to shift under repeated heavy traffic.
Concerns have also been raised over sections being exposed to vehicular traffic before the newly laid asphalt had sufficiently settled, increasing the risk of damage in areas regularly used by heavy vehicles.
The latest reconstruction therefore goes beyond simply replacing the damaged asphalt, with MTCC carrying out work on the underlying road layers before installing the new surface.
The road rehabilitation programme awarded to MTCC also includes repair works on damaged sections of Izzudheen Magu and Boduthakurufaanu Magu.
With asphalt paving now underway on Segment 1, the first section of Ameenee Magu is approaching reopening before work progresses further east along the road.
