Foreign firms get contract: PM

PRIME Minister James Marape says three contracts have been awarded to overseas companies for the first tranche of the Highlands Highway rehabilitation programme.
“There has never been serious attempts to rehabilitate the Highlands Highway in totality.
“So hopefully this programme can start the full rehabilitation process,” he said.
The three contracts are for:

• Nadazab to Henganofi (210 km) to be built by the Metallurgical Corporation of China for K229 million;
• Henganofi to Mangiro-Miunde (161 km) awarded to China Wu Yi Corporation for K157 million;
• Mangiro-Miunde to Kagamuga (57 km) awarded to China Harbour Engineering Company for K117 million.

The works departments in Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Jiwaka and Western Highlands will supervise the programme.
“The first stage of the programme is going on. There has been delays over the past seven years due to adverse weather, continuous harassment by landowners and other logistics issues,” Marape said.
He said 10 per cent of the first stage of work had been done.
“It is anticipated that (at the present rate), 30 per cent of the work will be done by the mid-2020s,” he said. “The first tranche of the programme would not include sealing, just rehabilitation of the roads to make sure they are passable.”
The second and third tranche of the programme will involve replacing the 71 existing one-lane bridges with two-lane bridges, fixing the Daulo Pass and Kassam Pass and a bypass at Goroka town.