Abal praised for road sealing plan

 By RIGGO NANGAN

THE Papua New Guinea Road Transport Association has welcomed the government’s move to seal the remainder of the 9,000km of national roads throughout the country. 

Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal said 36% of the 9,000km roads, or 3,000km, had been sealed. 

As Works Minister, he ordered Works secretary, Joel Luma, last week to furnish a phased sealing programme, one of several definite and targeted ones by the end of this month. 

PNGRTA president Jacob Luke on Monday described Abal’s move as “long overdue strategy” that had to be done to take the conditions of roads into the next phase of the country’s socio-economic growth.

Luke said the conditions of the roads now “are deteriorating so bad it hampered the surface movements of goods and services”.

He said gravelling and press rolling which seemed to be the road remedies in the past were not long term solutions but only serves to deteriorate the road conditions further. 

Luke said the Highlands Highway in particular had deteriorated between Lae, Goroka and Mount Hagen which caused disruption to the delivery of goods and services into the Highlands.

The PNGRTA is an association of members of the road transport industry that has a mission to represent its members to network, advocate and lobby to address economic, safety, environmental and security concerns affecting its members.

It has a charter to develop the transport industry to ensure a cooperative and collaborative approach is upheld between the government and the private sector, thereby promoting opportunity for mutual benefits for both parties.