Nali says more than K20bil needed to fix roads
MORE than K20 billion is needed to fix deteriorated roads in the country, Works Minister Michael Nali says.
“More than 70 per cent of the country’s road network is in a failed condition,” he said.
“In addition, road users, business operations and vehicle owners are spending over K1 billion annually unnecessarily in increased vehicle operating and time-delay costs, including increased road traffic accidents resulting in injuries and deaths per year due to poor road conditions.”
Nali said this when presenting the new PNG Road (Management and Fund) Bill in Parliament for the second reading.
“It is expected to years for the Government to fund the deferred maintenance costs and recover and restore the road network,” Nali said.
“However current poor quality roads are adding to more business costs and Government’s inaction now will be costly as roads will deteriorate to unmanageable levels.
“At the current rate of basic maintenance alone, in addition, the Government will require K900 million annually to rehabilitate and upgrade sections of the national highways and provincial roads in deteriorating conditions.
“The Government has a policy to connect the economic road transport infrastructure development programme 2020-2040 to recover the declining networks and grow the economy.
“This includes opening up important economic corridors and connecting them to existing regional highways: the Highlands Highway, Magi Highway, Enga Highway, Momase Highway, Sepik Highway and Wau-Bulolo Highway.
“Gulf-Southern Highland Highway, Madang-Baiyer Highway, Karamui-Gumine Road (will be merged) into a single, undivided national network on the main land.
3 comments
Road connections are very key areas where the government need to focus and proper funding should be made available.
One of the impediments which lay consistently is the government way of carrying out road upgrade which is not really good. Its a waste of money, time and resources.
The road constructions and to put up road sealing constructions so that would be better. The colonial style of road sealing over and over is waste of money.
Hon. Nali and the team up to you all.
Unfortunately over the past 20 to 30 years vast amounts of money has been spent on road construction either through direct government spending or through International Aid programmes. It is a pity that more attention has not been given to appropriate specifications for road construction and if the specifications have been correct for the location, then more importantly adequate supervision has been provided to ensure the roads have been built in accordnance with the specifications. How often have new roads been constructed and shortly after the same old cracks and potholes appear, even in and around Port Moresby and Lae where the terrain is not as difficult as other remote areas of PNG. The government and donor agaencies need to take a more proactive approach to the management of these projects. Road maintenance also has to be built into the equation of funding
Some of the roads constructed recently are now deteriorated after few years and getting worse.Please do away with contractors and engaged works department so that they can do the better job.
And Michael Nali talking about K20 billion for road alone is above the country’s yearly budget and Michael has been in this position for a decade and have done nothing and is just a joke.
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