Govt requested to upgrade road

THE Government has been urged to upgrade existing national roads before the construction of new ones linking Lae and Port Moresby.
Lae Chamber of Commerce and Inc president Alan McLay told The National that national roads were in a bad state and frequently prone to closure.
“There has been much discussion about a link from Lae to Port Moresby and several routes have been considered over the years” McLay said.
“The problem is that the National Government is struggling to keep open the current national highways in particular the Highlands (Okuk) Highway, let alone build a further lengthy road. “I believe that the Highlands Highway must be upgraded to a high standard, before a further highway from Lae to Port Moresby is constructed.”
He said the highway to link Southern Highlands to Gulf was inevitable because the country was “extremely unbalanced with the current situation – which is no road link to Port Moresby”.
The Government recently signed a US$122 million (K381m) loan with the Australian Development Bank for the improvement of the Highlands Highway.
Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch said the improvement of these roads were aligned with Government plans.