Let the Games road works begin

 WE discussed the bad state of Lae city roads the other day and pointed out some of the reasons for the slow progress of the multi-million kina Lae City Road Rehabilitation and Upgrading Pro­ject.

While Lae city suffers from deteriorating road conditions partly caused by a mismanaged road improvement project, Port Moresby City faces a different kind of dilemma.

The capital city is set to host the 2015 Pacific Games and major construction contracts were awarded earlier this year.

Groundwork has begun at several of the venues, including the Games Village, Sir John Guise Stadium and the Taurama Aquatic Centre.

As part of the preparations for this major sporting spectacle, the National Government, in collaboration with the National Capital District Commission (NCDC), have awarded major road contracts to rehabilitate and upgrade the city’s road network in time for the regional Games.

These multi-million kina contracts were signed several months ago but city residents and road users have not been told when the road works will begin.

The NCDC has not made any public announcements about the road works, which will cause much disruption to the chaotic traffic situation in the city.

The increase in the number of vehicles in Port Mo­resby has clogged up the city’s road network, resulting in traffic jams and long traffic queues at peak hours.

We hope that city planners and the contractors are mindful of the current chaotic situation when planning and implementing the road projects.

With less than 24 months to go before the opening of the Pacific Games, it will take a herculean effort to deliver these road projects on time and without causing much disruption to the current congested traffic flow.

So when will the road works begin? 

Is it next week, next month or next year?

While the NCDC and the contractors know the exact starting date of their individual projects, we only hope they do not begin the road works at the same time. 

That would cause much chaos as existing roads are shutdown while bypass roads are created to ease traffic flow.

Further delays in the start-up times of these projects will cause absolute chaos in the nation’s capital.

As it is, time is a major factor in the successful completion of these projects and the NCDC should be insisting that the road works get off the ground sooner rather than later. 

Indeed, time will become the contractors’ worst enemy should they face unforeseen delays and other circumstances.

With the major Games construction projects under way in the city, Port Moresby will become a hive of activity over the next 21 months.

These major construction activities will include the transportation of equipment, building materials and the workforce to and from the work sites.

It is therefore crucial that the road projects are carried out in harmony with the construction projects so that minimum disruption is caused to their schedules and the traffic flow in the city.

Again, this is easier said than done, something that the NCD Governor and his planners should always be mindful of.

The experience of the last major road project in the city, the Poreporena Freeway, should be invaluable to the city planners and contractors of the current road projects. 

The freeway was built at a time when there were not as many vehicles on the city’s roads as there are today but the extended construction period caused much disruption to traffic flow to other parts of the National Capital District.

Nonetheless, road users and residents alike will need to be prepared for what is expected to be the busiest and most gruelling period of construction activity in the city’s history.

As Governor Powes Parkop and Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko have said on many occasions, the nation’s capital must be well prepared to deliver the 2best ever 2015 Pacific Games.

Much is at stake for Papua New Guinea’s reputation and Port Moresby will bear the burden and reap the rewards if the construction projects are delivered on time for the city to host the Games.

That will leave a lasting legacy that the region and country will be proud of.