Solomon Islands and the Asian Development Bank have signed a SB$265 million dollar grant from Australia to help restore vital transport links destroyed by the 2010 floods in central Solomon Islands.
A joint statement from Ausaid, NZAid, ADB and the Solomon Islands government says the grant was signed yesterday by the Finance and Treasury Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo and the Director General of ADB's Pacific Department.It says the additional funding from Australia will be for the Second Road Improvement project SIRP2, which aims to replace or upgrade around 30 water crossings and to build a 20 kilometre road.
The project was approved by the ADB and co-financed as grants by the ADB and the Australian, New Zealand, Solomon Islands governments and the European Union.
The funding will also be for climate change proofing of transport links, enabling them to withstand extreme weather in the future.
It says the 2010 floods imposed additional costs on the project and a subsequent climate adaptation study showed there was an urgent need to further climate-proof the infrastructure.
Poha Bridge on West Guadalcanal and roads in north Malaita, to name a few, will be repaired under the grant.