New road to take time: Haiveta

Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta says completion of the road linking Kikori to Port Moresby and port development in Kikori will take time.
He said this when responding to comments by Works and Implementation Minister Michael Nali and Secretary David Wereh on the road linking Gulf to Southern Highlands and Hela, and development of a new port at Kikori.
Nali said the Gulf-Southern Highlands-Hela road would be opened by 2018.
Wereh said the Gulf-Southern Highlands-Hela road had 38km from Erave to Samberigi in Southern Highlands to be completed.
He said for a further road to be built – from Kikori to Kerema and eventually on to Port Moresby – it would take more time and resources.
Wereh said for a port to be built in Kikori, as an alternative to Lae, would also take time.
Haiveta welcomed both the road and the port but added that they would not be completed overnight.
“It (road) is not finished yet,” he told The National.
“The Works Minister, myself and leaders will travel along the route and organise funding to ensure that it’s completed.
“It’s only completed when it reaches Kerema town. Then you need a link to Port Moresby and a link to the port at Paia (in Kikori).”
Haiveta said there were plans to have a road linking the Papua LNG Project site at Elk-Antelope to the port at Paia.
“There is already a commitment to do that in Alotau Accord II,” he said.
Nali said development of the road and port would ease the burden on Lae. “Along with the development of the planned sea port at Kikori, this road will support the oil and gas development in these provinces (Gulf, Southern Highlands and Hela), and it will also provide an alternative export route for other commodities in the Highlands region, mitigating the current risks associated with our sole reliance on the Highlands Highway and relieving the bottleneck at Lae Port,” he said.