Solomon Islands consists of six large islands, dozens of smaller islands, and hundreds of islets and atolls. It has a land area of 28,000 square kilometers (km). Until 2009, more than 80% of its population was rural, living in widely dispersed villages of a few hundred persons. Infrastructure and services were inadequate, and improvements in the national transport network were grossly needed to make the rural areas more accessible and promote development.
The government implemented the Solomon Islands Road Improvement (Sector) Project (SIRIP) from 2007 to 2012. SIRIP rehabilitated unsealed roads, reconstructed bridges and culverts, maintained unsealed and sealed roads using labor-based and equipment-supported (LBES) maintenance methods, and supported the transformation of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) into an asset management organization. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) administered the implementation of SIRIP, which was cofinanced by the governments of Australia and New Zealand.
Following the detailed engineering design of SIRIP, the Makira subproject was estimated to cost $18 million compared with the appraisal estimate of $10 million. At government’s request, the Second Road Improvement (Sector) Project was formulated to meet the cost overruns resulting from underestimations during project preparation and the inclusion of two high-level bridges during implementation. It was approved by ADB in November 2009 for a $15 million grant to Solomon Islands.
The project’s key objective was to remove accessibility constraints by restoring or providing road connectivity, and improving access reliability during natural hazards. Its anticipated impact was economic growth, social development, and reduction of hardship and poverty in the areas served by the subprojects. Its intended outcome was improved road transport that supported economic and social activities. Planned outputs were divided into three components: (i) rehabilitation of selected roads and bridges not covered by SIRIP, permanent repair of roads damaged by the 2009 and 2010 floods, and upgrading and climate-proofing of roads and waterway crossings; (ii) maintenance of road sections reconstructed under SIRIP and private sector investment projects; and (iii) project management and capacity building.
Under component 1, the project overachieved its targets. 63 km of roads, instead of the 30 km-target, were rehabilitated. 34 major and 50 minor crossings, not 30 as planned, were repaired or constructed. The significant overachievement was made possible by additional cofinancing from the governments of Australia and New Zealand, and efficient project management. Under component 2, LBES routine maintenance, introduced under SIRIP, was undertaken on over 60 km of roads by domestic contractors involving community groups and with local labor provided by both women and men. Under component 3, SIRIP project management and capacity-building efforts were consolidated and further strengthened through effective implementation of cofinancing and donor harmonization, community participation and labor-intensive employment, implementation of climate change adaptation measures, and involvement of non-government organizations in HIV education.
At completion, the project substantially achieved its intended outcome. The improved roads had remained passable for all vehicles during floods and the number of impassable days decreased to 0.2 day per year. With all-weather road connectivity, government centers, markets, and services had become more accessible to rural residents. The substantial travel time savings and uninterrupted connectivity during floods led to increased economic and social activities in the project areas. Gender elements integrated into the project enhanced women’s participation, incomes, and empowerment.
ADB’s Pacific Department rated the project successful. As with SIRIP, the MID served as executing agency. Within the MID, the project management and capacity building unit took charge of day-to-day implementation,
