A landslide at Le Mafa that threatened to block the road and restrict access for motorists, has led to the temporary closure of the road, the Land Transport Authority has advised.

The landslide occurred Sunday evening and kept KLSS construction company employees working at the site until they took a four-hour break in the early hours of Monday morning. Work to clear the landslide and restore access has resumed with the L.T.A. issuing a notice late Monday to advise the public of the road closure. 

"We wish to inform the travelling public to the eastern side of Upolu that Le Mafa road will be closed off from 10.00 am to 2.00," the notice from the authority reads. "This will enable the contractor to safely remove debris and larger trees from the landslide at this area. 

"It is difficult to carry these works with the constant moving of traffic through Le Mafa Pass. We urge members of the public to assist us in our efforts in our clearance works. Thank you Land Transport Authority."

On Sunday evening, when the landslide occurred, both sides of the main road were blocked which also held up traffic late at night until later on Monday morning.

Samoa Observer visited the site on Monday afternoon. One of the KLSS construction company workers, Jamaica Aoga told this newspaper in an interview that they only had four hours of rest since Sunday evening.

He also explained that the landslide was caused by heavy rain on Saturday and this is not the first time it happened at Le Mafa.

"We're always called in by the L.T.A to assist in the landslides on this side, although it is not our zone to cover and for this one, we were called in around 9 pm last night [Sunday].

"And we started working around 10 pm and only managed to get some rest around 4 am this morning [Monday] when the other lane was cleared for motorists.

"By the time the other lane was cleared, there was a massive queue of vehicles on both sides of the landslide so it took some time for us to clear the traffic before we went home.

"Then we came back again around 8 am this morning [Monday] and started digging again and clearing the road so we're hoping that by the end of today, both lanes should be clear that's our goal before we get some rest and come again tomorrow."

Mr. Aoga did this interview hours before the L.T.A. issued the road closure on Monday. He stressed that although the road could be cleared by Monday, it would still be dangerous as the top of the hill remains vulnerable to loose soil and rocks. 

Fortunately, there are no residents residing around that area at Le Mafa. The Le Mafa road is the only route that motorists can access heading the east side of Upolu, especially for residents residing in eastern Upolu villages. This is unless they take another route using Cross Island Road and cross through Falealili, which is twice or three times the distance from Apia to Le Mafa.