‘Okapa to Gulf’ road looked at

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has directed the Minister for Works to look into an alternative road from Okapa, in Eastern Highlands, to Gulf.
O’Neill gave the direction during the commissioning of the PNG Electrification Partnership Programme in Okapa on Thursday.
“The missing link from Okapa to Kerema and Port Moresby, today I am asking the Department of Works and the ministry to start designing this project and the cost for the project,” O’Neill said.
Okapa MP Saki Solomon said the road link was one of the high-impact projects in his district.
“This is an alternative route for the Highlands regions to connect Port Moresby as well as the proposed Papua Liquefied Natural Gas project,” he said.
“This missing link road can connect Port Moresby through Gulf and is a shorter route, which is already a policy and part of the National Transport Development plan.
“The proposed road will benefit the new Papua LNG project, which is also a major investment of our country.” Heads of missions from the four countries involved – the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan – ministers and departmental heads attended.
Solomon thanked the government for choosing Okapa to be one of the pilot districts to roll out the programme this year.
He said the Okapa district development authority had committed a counterpart funding of K1 million for the project to connect electricity transmission lines from Kainantu to Okapa Station.