Road links a priority: Mirisim

WORKS and Highways Minister Solan Mirisim says road links are a priority, connecting Papua New Guinea’s key economic corridors.
Mirisim said this during his ministerial statement on works and highways, the Connect PNG programme financing and implementation in Parliament yesterday.
“Road freight and passenger transportation demand is growing and will double in the next five years. As our key economic highways get a face-lift to a safe, reliable standard as a priority, we will also improve the subnational roads and open up the missing link roads connecting key economic corridors,” he said.
“Wealth creation and distribution is at the heart of the economic development for the country. The majority of the rural population depend on roads more than any other form of transportation and must be empowered through improved road access.”
The Telefomin MP said there was a correlation between a country’s economic development and the quality of its road network.
“Due to years of underfunding, more than 70 per cent of the country’s road network is still in a poor condition.
“Improved road accessibility is key to connecting investors and developers to natural resources, farmers to markets, transport service providers to passengers and cargo, children to schools, the sick to health facilities, connecting the unconnected, reaching the unreached and serving the unserved,” Mirisim said.
He said the Government’s Connect PNG 2020-2040 was a carefully planned strategic intervention to address transport infrastructure from past programmes and at the same time open new economic corridors to unlock economic potential