Residents query socio-economic benefits of highway

 By ELIZABETH VUVU

THE construction of the New Britain Highway to connect East and West New Britain has cost over K14 million already but the people of Open Bay say it is useless most of the time.

The people, through their landowner company Simakade Holdings Ltd, said civil engineering work should have been conducted in Open Bay.

Board of directors chairman Peter Maue said the socio-economic challenges such a road would bring to their peaceful community needed to be addressed properly. 

He said that included establishing a police post in Open Bay before opening the road.

The highway was initially planned to run from Rabaul to Gaulim but was recently re-routed to run 190km from Kokopo Secondary School in Kokopo to Pandi River at the border of the two provinces.

Works Department sources said the original 35km from Rabaul to Gaulim had been gazetted by the National Executive Council and was still receiving funding but it was not viable. 

The reasons are that the road runs into the Baining ranges and affects tourism sites such as the Lark Force. There are too many water heads that will disturb the environment. A submission on the new route prepared by the ENB provincial administration and Works Department was submitted to the NEC in 2013 to be gazetted but is still pending.

It is understood that the original route is still receiving funding under the Transport Department.