The project deals with the determination of lead in soil samples collected near roads in Mauritius. Roads with different traffic densities (High Traffic Density, HTD; Average Traffic Density, A TD; Low Traffic Density, LTD) found in rural, sub-urban and urban areas were selected for the study. A total of 733 soil samples have been collected, dried, sieved, digested using microwave technique and analysed for lead by atomic absorption spectrometry. The lead content obtained in the different soil samples ranged from O ppm (road near Trou aux Cerfs region) to 3012 ppm (alongside the M 1 motorway between Reduit and Caudan). Typically roads having a LTD, A TD and HTD have a mean lead soil content of less than 250 ppm, 400 ppm and greater than 500 ppm respectively. The results clearly indicate that vehicular exhaust is the main source of lead pollution near roads in Mauritius. The most polluted soil samples were collected near the Reduit/Caudan segment of the M1motorway (mean lead level> 800 ppm). Lead soil levels alongside roads in Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill, Quatre-Bornes and Curepipe varied from 18 ppm to 1299 ppm. Curepipe was found to the least polluted (mean 159 ppm) whereas Quatre-Bornes and Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill had similar soil lead content (mean of 283 and 290 ppm respectively). The mean soil lead level was found to increase with time alongside the M 1 motorway. Climatic conditions and topography of the land were found to influence greatly the deposition of lead particulate matter near the roads.