Addu Link Road project commences seven months after contract award: RDC begins relocating trees along the route six months later
The Road Development Corporation (RDC) has commenced the practical phase of upgrading the Addu Link Road by clearing trees to facilitate road widening. This extensive infrastructure project involves the redevelopment of a 12.3-kilometer stretch and the asphalt paving of a total of 67.58 kilometers across various roads in Addu City. Despite growing public concern over previous delays, the government has set a firm target to complete the entire project by 2028.
Work has commenced on clearing and relocating trees along the Addu City Link Road to facilitate road widening and the construction of additional lanes as part of the ongoing redevelopment project. | RDC
The Road Development Corporation (RDC) has announced that it has begun clearing and relocating trees along the Addu Link Road to facilitate its modernization project. This phase of the project comes six months after work was initially declared to have commenced in November 2025, which itself followed a seven-month period after the project was first awarded to the corporation on April 8, 2025.
Despite Housing Minister Dr. Abdulla Muththalib's assurance that physical work on the Addu Link Road would commence within 2024, no practical progress has been made on the project even after two years.
Despite being questioned numerous times in Parliament regarding this matter, Minister Muththalib has failed to provide a direct answer. Even as members repeatedly pressed for clarification, the Minister would only state that physical work on the project is expected to commence very soon.
After a significant delay in the commencement of the project, the Road Development Corporation (RDC) has announced that work is now underway to clear the area and relocate trees along the Link Road. This phase is part of a larger project to widen the road and add additional lanes. Speaking to state media, RDC confirmed that the necessary equipment and materials for the project have already been mobilized to the site.
Under the Link Road project, a total of 12.3 kilometers of road development is scheduled for completion. Additionally, as part of the Addu road development project, asphalt paving will be carried out on roads where the Cement Treated Base (CTB) has already been laid. This phase of the project will see a total of 67.58 kilometers of road being paved with asphalt.
While the project is targeted for completion by 2028, commuters using this road have faced significant difficulties in recent days.
The Addu Link Road was officially opened for use in 2003.
