Investing in roads is necessary

 THE Government, through the Works and Implementation Department, has an­nounced funding of K1.5 billion to maintain the country’s road networks. 

This is great news for people and businesses because it will ensure the movement goods, services and individuals can be carried out in a safer and cheaper manner.

The National Government plans on spending an amount similar to the Pacific Games budget to repair and upgrade roads throughout the country in 2015 and it shows their commitment to development.

According to Works Secretary David Wereh the plan of action for the year includes spending more than a billion kina on maintenance of national roads alone, while the remaining K470m would be used to fix all national bridges, maintain the main provincial roads, urban roads and develop opening up strategic routes.

Interestingly, while the nation’s main highways such as the Highlands Highway and roads on the north coast and those on New Britain will no doubt benefit from the funding with two thirds of the money earmarked for this purpose, the portion of the money set for the maintenance of urban roads is more than K260m.

The scope of work that will be carried out on the roads and other transport infrastructure is impressive.

To be clear, many of the road sealing and construction projects planned for the year as well as those that are in their middle to final stages of completion and have been done so in no small part through donor funding.

Wereh highlighted that during last week’s presentation to the government. 

The Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency are three of the main international donors that have already spent money on the country’s transport infrastructure and will continue to expand their resources to help PNG attain a collection of roads that will be a boon for development and prosperity in the future. It is no surprise that the development and extent of roads in this country has, in a way, mirrored the fortunes of the governments and the people.

Other than a lack of political will over the years to shore up the quality and quantity of the roads, the fact that in this country developers face some of the most rugged and inhospitable geography is perhaps the main cause for the slow movement of asphalt and concrete reaching the isolated communities that dot the hills, valleys and mountains of this nation.

Wereh said K1.023b of the total funding was specifically for the construction of road sections under the Asian Development bank; the maintenance and rehabilitation of the Highlands Highway; the completion of upgrading work a section of the Hiritano Highway under the World Bank; and improving the accessibility, reliability and safety on the long stretches of highways.

A further K81.3m will be used to build bridges at appropriate locations in Central and New Britain. Bridges in Oro will be funded by the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the tune of K139m.

Wereh said 2015 would be a year that saw more achieved in terms of improving the lives of the rural majority as well as those in the cities and towns through the repair and upkeep of existing roads and the development of new ones.

Where previously there had not been road links, this year will see the connection of provinces that had never been joined by a road.   

“We look forward to op­ening the East-West New Britain link with the construction of two bridges, start tendering and construction of the Erave-Sembirigi link under the tax credit scheme, and reach Kaintiba on the Gulf-Morobe link,” he said.

Wereh said the state’s development partners accounted for 27 per cent of the funding.

With all the assistance being given by donors and the international community, there can be no excuses with a lack of infrastructure severely hindering development in the provinces. 

The country is being opened up significantly and at some point in the not too distant future well-maintained roads will put Papua New Guineans from all four corners of the country in touch with each other and enable more development to reach the places and people it needs to.