Sheikh to Berbera works included drainage and culverts

The Somaliland Development Fund announced on 22 March 2025 that reconstruction and rehabilitation of 69 km of road between Sheikh and Berbera was complete and open to traffic. The fund said it worked with the Ministry of Transport and Roads Development, and that the completion ceremony took place at Sheikh.

What the source records

The fund states the project involved comprehensive rehabilitation including drainage restoration, culvert replacement, and installation of road furniture and traffic calming measures. It reports a first phase covering 64 km between Burao and Sheikh, with four bridges restored at Dubur, Laaleys, Gelokor and Kalajab, and detailed designs completed for the Erigavo to Maydh road. The fund expects over 1,000 jobs and lists training and mentoring for the ministry. Somaliland Development Fund

What it means on site

Drainage and culverts decide how long a paved surface lasts through Gu and Deyr rain. Where a road has been rebuilt, the line the water takes at each crossing can be checked: whether culverts sit at the channel, whether inlets and outlets are clear of silt, and whether shoulder levels fall away from the seal or pond against it. Road furniture and traffic calming are the parts a driver meets first, so their placement and visibility matter. General practice is to confirm crossfall, culvert invert levels and clear cover against the project specification or the engineer, since these come from the design, not from the announcement.

What the source does not establish

The announcement is the fund's own. The job figure is a projection, not a counted result, and no independent acceptance, defect list, or maintenance handover appears in it. It does not state the as-built drainage condition, culvert sizes, or whether any section has since settled or silted. A signed completion certificate, the handing-over certificate naming the contractor and supervisor, and any defects liability record held by the Ministry of Transport and Roads Development would show the present state. Nothing in the announcement assigns fault for anything.

What to do next

Ask the Ministry of Transport and Roads Development office in Hargeisa for the as-built drawings and the completion certificate for the Sheikh to Berbera section, then compare culvert positions and invert levels on site with those drawings before designing any work that ties into the road.