The ford joining Fagali’i and Vailele-uta has been described as a “disaster waiting to happen".
And with the wet season already bringing its fair share of heavy downpours, residents in the area have expressed deep concerns, calling on the government to do something before someone “is killed".
After heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday night, the ford was flooded heavily when the Samoa Observer visited. The flooding will only get worse as the rainy season continues, residents warn.
One of them, Talianoa Toama’i, of Vailele, said it is only through the grace of God that no one has been washed away and killed at the ford.
The mother of two, who grew up in the area, said she has witnessed extremely dangerous flooding at the ford and incidents where vehicles attempting to cross to either side are inches away from being swept away.
“As you can see today, the ford is extremely dangerous,” she said. “I’ve been told many times that the government has promised to fix this but nothing has been done".
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"I hope they don't wait until it’s too late".
Contacted for a comment, the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Manu’alesagalala Enokati Posala, said through his Secretary that the ford is on the list of upcoming projects.
The Land Transport Authority (L.T.A), he said, is working through the list but priority is given to roads, bridges and basic infrastructure destroyed by recent natural disasters.
While the Minister conceded that members of the public have a right to be concerned, he assured that the Fagali’i ford would eventually be improved.
When that will happen, the Secretary could not say.
Meanwhile, Ms. Toama’i said the piece of road has become increasingly busy especially with Samoa Primary School located just up the road.
“It is a very busy road now and lots of people use it especially on the week days when parents drop and pick up their kids from school,” she said.
“There is also an increase in population of people living in the new settlements in this area. There are literally hundreds of cars that cross this ford every day and I’m fearful that something might happen".
Ms. Toama’i said the number of people using it will only increase.
Fa’atupu Fa’aliga, 45, of Fagali’i echoed Ms. Toama’i’s concerns.
“As a resident of Fagali’i for 45 years, I am begging whichever ministry is responsible to do something about this ford,” he said.
“This road clearly needs a bridge".
Fa’atupu said as far as he could remember, the road was built during the late 1990s. An upgrade is long overdue, he said.
“The crossing is not safe. The government needs to build a bridge to allow the water to cross through and allow cars to travel safely. As you can see, the road is so narrow".
Before the recent spike in the number of vehicles in Samoa, Fa’atupu said the road was manageable.
“We didn't have that many cars using it before,” he said. “But now this is a different story. With better schools, golf and more people in the area, the road has become so busy and I’m afraid one day, if nothing is done, someone will get killed".
Fa’atupu is also worried about the number of heavy-duty trucks and loaders using the road.
“One truck or two trucks can cause big problems here. Even worse, many people from the villages still use this for washing, showering and other basic chores".
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