A troubled highway
BY ZACHERY PER
CUTTING through the rugged mountain terrains, crossing fast flowing rivers, streams running through the valleys into the hinterlands of the highlands region from the coastal ports of Lae and Madang is the Okuk Highway.
This vital transport infrastructure was built in the early 70s under the colonial administration to link the highlands with the coastal provinces of Morobe and Madang.
According to an archive record with the Works Department, the colonial administrators wanted the highway to run through the Markham valley and into the Ramu plains before going through Jimi valley and into Western Highlands before connecting Enga and Southern Highlands Provinces.
Kundiawa Gembogl MP Joe Mek Teine pointed out at a recent gathering in Kundiawa that a pioneer Highlands politician Kondom Augando who was with the colonial administrators insisted for the highway to come through Eastern Highlands cutting through Kassam Pass to Yonki to Kainantu before reaching Goroka then to Simbu.
Mr Augando insisted that the highway run through his Wandi village near Kundiawa and run through Mindima, Mingende to Koronigle to Barawagi, Ganigle before going through Western Highlands Province, according to Mr Teine.
He said it was during the Kondom era in politics the highway was initially constructed, while during late Sir Iambakey Okuk era in politics the highway was reconstructed and sealed.
He said today it is the current Works, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Don Polye era, who is embarking on a major re-designing and re-development.
The heavily graveled highway went for a major upgrade and sealing during the Chan-Okuk Government, when fire-brand politician late Sir Iambakey Okuk was deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation.
The then highlands highway was renamed ‘The Okuk Highway’, it stretched from the Madang and Lae sea ports to Tari, Moro and Lake Kutubu in the Southern Highlands and into the Kandep and Porgera districts in the Enga province.
The entire population of the five highlands Provinces is heavily dependent on the Okuk Highway for livelihood; likewise the country relies on it for resource development in the interior of the highlands region.
One of the world’s giant gold mine is located in Porgera, Enga province and the rich oil wells of Kutubu, Iagifu and Moro are situated in Southern Highlands province.
Okuk Highway is the only link to these important sites, it is commonly described as ‘PNG’s Economic Life Line’ as it generates millions of kina for the country’s purse.
The Government budgets millions of kina annually for the upkeep of the highway, that is beefed up with AusAID donor assistance for major rehabilitation of the highway.
The Japanese Government through its donor organization Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) is funding the rehabilitation of one lane bridges along the Okuk Highway into two lanes.
The major rehabilitation of the highway began on the Simbu section last year with funding from AusAID and the PNG Government.
However, due to the unstable condition of the land in different section of Simbu, the Government is spending millions of kina in urgent maintenance works, it is an on going practice
Similarly the sections between Daulo Pass and Magiro in Eastern Highlands province are prone to landslips during rainy periods that also cost the Government millions of kina.
The trend along the highway prompted Works, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Don Polye to embark on a major re-designing and re-development of the highway under his department’s Highway Re-designing and Re-Development Program.
“The Okuk Highway needs a complete re-designing and re-development to accommodate the increasing volume of traffic and my ministry is committed to ensure this happens because the highway is crucially important to the wellbeing of over three million people of the highlands and the economic life line of the country,” Mr Polye said when winding down his tour of the highway last week.
He said the highway was constructed when there were not much traffic load flowing, it was designed under Australian rural roads standard.
Mr Polye said the current deteriorating conditions of the highway was due to influx of the high volume of traffic flow, the demise of the weighing station at Nine-Mile outside Lae Morobe province is another major contributing factor.
Tonnage of freight trucking firms ferry into the hinterlands of the highlands region are not monitored thus the weights and pressure applied on the roads cause the surface of the road to develop pot holes.
He said the highway reconstruction would not be only Okuk Highway but other highways like the Buluminski, Hiritano, Namatanai, East/West New Britain highway would come under the Highway Re-designing and Re-Development Program.
Mr Polye said work on the Highlands Highway should start in two months time.
He visited the new proposed route from Kamaliki to Chuave with Ungai-Bena MP Benny Allan and Chuave MP Jim Nomane. They went to Yabiuba village on the top of Ungai montains and Pila on the other side of Siane area in Chuave district Simbu Province.
Mr Polye also visited the Chuave-Movi road upgrade and sealing projects funded under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) counterpart project.
“I made the commitment last year as Deputy Prime Minister for the alternative route and a K23 million kina funding was made available for the project, for Kamaliki - Chuave section.” he said.
He applauded Environment and Conservation Minister and Ungai-Bena MP Benny Allan and Chuave MP Jim Nomane who are committed to see the road is constructed and sealed as a new route.
Mr Polye said the other road connecting the route from Marasin Bridge near Bihute jail would also be upgraded and sealed as he does not want the traffic to be diverted away from Goroka town
He also said the highway through Daulo Pass and Watabung would not be completely neglected but would be maintained and be in use. It would be up to the motorists to decide which route to use.
He also visited the proposed re-route of the Kundiawa - Waigar section of the highway also in Simbu Province the company of Mr Teine and Simbu Governor Fr John Garia.
They later addressed the people of Simbu in Kundiawa raising the important roles the Okuk Highway plays in the lives of the people and PNG.
Mr Polye in an interview said he is also adamant to see the rural districts of PNG inter-connected with roads cross-cutting each other.
“I want to see the country inter-connected with roads, to adequately address the transportation needs of masses of the population particularly rural areas,” he said.
The Kandep MP said he made the special tour last week starting in Eastern Highlands Province, to Simbu sections of the Okuk Highway and to Western Highlands and ended in his own district Kandep, Enga Province to assess the condition of the highway.
He confirmed the diversion for alternative route would be the Goroka - Chuave section via Unagi Mountains and Kundiawa-Waigar in Simbu Province would go through Mirane to Papnigl and to Waigar.
“Sections between Wapanamanda to Wabag in Enga now riddled with pot holes would be upgraded from a K22 million jointly funded PNG Government and AusAID,” he added.
Mr Polye said other sections to be overhauled are Wabag/Porgera, Kandep/Laiagam (Enga), Tomba/Tambul (Western Highlands), Samberigi/Erave, Kisime/Ialibu,Tari/Magarima (Southern Highlands).
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