The Samoa government has commissioned two new roads at Salamumu and Fagali'i-Uta at a total cost of SAT$2.5 million with officials and villagers witnessing the occasion.

The official opening of the two new roads was done on Friday afternoon with the Minister for Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Va'ai joining a number of government officials as well as village and church representatives to mark the occasion.

Of the two roads that were officially opened on Friday, the extended Salamumu Road is 3.2 kilometres (length) while the reconstruction of Utumapu Road in Fagali'i-Uta is 2 km long. 

The capital works for Upolu include the two new roads that were opened were announced in September 2022 while the contracts were awarded in February this year. 

King Construction was awarded the contract for the extension of the Salamumu Road at the cost of SAT$1,122,149.88 while Lucky Construction Ltd was awarded the contract for the reconstruction of Utumapu Road in Fagali'i-Uta for SAT$1,495,736.00.

Other interested bidders included T&N Toleafoa Co. Ltd, Sefo Esera Pa’u trading as KLSS, Ulia Construction Ltd, Lee Transport, Bluebird Construction Company Ltd, A&A Engineering Construction, SNS6, PPG Construction, Ott Constructors Ltd, R&R Construction Ltd, Samoa Works & Engineering Ltd (SWEL), Rockworkz Ltd.

Minister Olo spoke on behalf of the government and the implementing agency, the Land Transport Authority (L.T.A.) to acknowledge the hard work of the contractors in ensuring that the work was completed on time. 

He spoke about the importance of building good quality infrastructures that are up to the standards required so they can last longer despite the changes in weather from time to time. 

Olo also made special mention of the Chief Executive Officer and staff of the L.T.A. for their supervision and commitment towards the completion of the much-needed upgrades for these parts of the country. 

The elders and matai of both villages expressed their sincere gratitude to the government and the agencies for accepting their humble requests to improve the conditions of the roads within the respective villages. The new upgrade will make transportation easier for them and safer to use. The roadworks also included drainages and pipes.