The Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has announced a significant change in strategy for the Bodu Thakurufaanu Magu development project, confirming that all remaining segments will now be tarred simultaneously.
This new approach is expected to streamline the final phase of the major infrastructure upgrade.
Originally, the plan was to complete the asphalt laying on Segment 5—stretching from the Henveiru Ferry Terminal to the FSM Building—before moving on to the other sections. However, with sidewalk work currently underway on Segment 5 and substantial progress on the remaining three segments, the MTCC has opted for a more efficient, unified tarring process.
MTCC’s Senior Project Manager Sharvas Abdulla Faiz told PSM News that key preparatory work across the unfinished segments, including critical keywall construction and the laying and upgrading of water and sewerage pipes, is well advanced. Additionally, 50 percent of the project's piling work, which involves driving 522 sheets, has been completed.
"The plan is to start tarring all the segments at once. The tarring work is scheduled to be completed and opened by next month,” he explained.
To minimise disruption, the road will remain open to pedestrians during much of this period. It will be temporarily closed only during the actual asphalt laying operations before reopening to traffic.
This third phase of the road's modernisation encompasses Segments 2 to 5 of Phase 1, a 700-metre stretch from the Izzuddeen Jetty to the Henveiru Ferry Terminal, and includes the renovation of 610 metres of seawall. A central feature of the redesign has been a significant widening of the roadway by around six metres, a change expected to greatly alleviate the chronic congestion in this busy service area that accommodates ferries, speedboats, and cargo boats.
The project's most transformative element is set to be developed in the third segment, where a large 98-metre by 28-metre area has been dredged from the harbour to create a substantial new parking zone. This area is slated to provide 500 dedicated parking spaces for motorcycles, addressing a critical need in the capital and further contributing to reduced traffic congestion for all road users.