The government has signed an agreement with China-based Rotime Engineering and Technology Co. Ltd. to redevelop and expand a 12.3-kilometre section of the Addu City Link Road into a four-lane road.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development by Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib, while Rotime Managing Director Xu Weidong signed on behalf of the company.
The project covers the section of the Link Road between the detour bridge and Hithadhoo Stadium. The planned works include widening the road to four lanes, upgrading drainage systems, laying new asphalt and improving road safety infrastructure under a design-and-build model.
The decision follows changes to an earlier arrangement with the state-owned Road Development Corporation (RDC).
In April 2025, the government awarded RDC a contract worth MVR 829 million to modernise the Link Road and surrounding infrastructure over 1,440 days, or four years.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu officially inaugurated the project during a visit to Addu City in November 2025. However, physical work on the Link Road did not progress following the inauguration.
The government subsequently revised the scope of the project, with Rotime taking responsibility for the main Link Road redevelopment.
The four-lane expansion is intended to upgrade the main road network connecting parts of Addu City and improve the road infrastructure along the 12.3-kilometre section.
