Bladiniere residents welcome long-awaited road repairs, call for proper drainage

August 25, 2025 9:39 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Hilaire Bule.

Residents at Bladiniere Estate in Port Vila have witnessed the repair of their main roads starting last week. Yesterday afternoon, residents saw a roller and other heavy machinery working on one of the main roads from Tagabe Mall to Grace Baptist Church.

Speaking to some parents, they said that for more than six months buses had to drop them at Chuan Store and Tagabe Mall, forcing them to walk with their children to the school gates.

They added that for children still in kindergarten, parents often had to carry them on their backs.

“During rainy periods, it is worse for the children to walk from the main road to their school. There are many potholes that vehicles cannot avoid, and sometimes muddy water splashes onto parents and children,” parents said.

They added that on sunny days they still have to walk with their children to school and pick them up at the end of the day, walking again to catch the bus at Chuan Store and Tagabe Mall.

Parents from Saint Jean Paul II Kindergarten shared similar concerns as those from Grace Baptist.

“We have to carry our children on our shoulders to reach the school because buses refuse to drop them at the gate. From the main road to the school, there are many potholes that kindergarten children cannot cross safely,” they said.

They said employed parents sometimes arrive late at work due to the poor road conditions, as they must walk from the main road to the school.

Parents of both schools welcomed the maintenance of the main roads but questioned how long it will last.

They said Bladiniere is a swamp area and called for proper drainage systems to be built.

For the past six months, Tagabe Mall and Chuan Store have served as pick-up and drop-off points for residents of Bladiniere Estate.

Bladiniere Estate is a new and one of the largest subdivisions on Efate.