Photo: The Usino Junction along the Ramu Highway. To the left is Madang, to the right is Ramu Valley leading on to Markham Valley, and the road in the middle is to Ramu Nico.
Hon. Prime Minister James Marape has announced that a K159 million contract for the Ramu Highway in Madang has been awarded, as well as a K43 million contract to expand the North Coast Road from Bogia to Awar.
When giving K5 million to Madang Governor Hon. The Banu-Bundi Road, which will eventually connect to Gembogl in Chimbu, is being built by Peter Yama.
The Ramu Highway is one of K1.4 billion in new road contracts in Papua New Guinea, and it joins those already in place under the Marape Government's trademark 'Connect PNG' program, which has spent roughly K1 billion on roads around the nation over the previous two years.
The Prime Minister announced the awarding of contracts of:
- K159 million for the Ramu-Madang stretch of the Ramu Highway in Madang;
- K147.5 million for the first stretch of the Wewak-Vanimo Highway up to Aitape;
- K115.9 million for the Momote Airport-West Coast Road in Manus;
- K164 million for the upgrade of Imulima Bridge-Moreguina stretch of Magi Highway in Central, to eventually link up with Milne Bay;
- K70 million for Bautauma-Imulima Bridge section of Magi Highway in Central;
- K138.5 million for New Britain Highway from Kimbe in West New Britain to Kokopo in East New Britain;
- K400 million for Yalu Bridge-Nadzab Four-Lane Highway in Markham Valley of Morobe;
- K50 million for sealing of Kiunga-Tabubil Highway in Western, which will ultimately lead on to remote Telefomin in West Sepik;
- K15 million for sealing of Daru Town roads;
- K66 million for Bulolo Highway resealing; and
- K80 million for sealing of Halimbu-Koroba Road in Hela;
This totals K1.4 billion.
As he handed the K5 million to Governor Yama, PM Marape emphasized that Usino-Bundi and Madang had not been forgotten by his government.
Basic government services do not reach the people of Usino-Bundi, and road access is a high concern for the three Local Level Government (LLG) regions of Usino, Bundi, and Gama.
“In the next two to three years, we should be able to drive from here to Kundiawa,” PM Marape told an appreciative crowd at Walium.
“This is just part of the broader ‘Connect PNG’ programme in which we are building roads all over the country like never before.
“Today, a very remote place such as Telefomin on the border with West Papua, has just 30km to complete before being joined to Tabubil.
“This is just one example of roads we are building right across our country.”
PM Marape told the people of Usino-Bundi that they were very much part of the ‘Connect PNG’ network.
“The Bundi Road, for which we are here today, is a key missing link which we want to connect,” he said.
“Middle Ramu to Baiyer in Western Highlands is another missing link in Madang which the PNG Defence Force is currently working on.
“My people of Madang, you are not forgotten, as you are right in the middle of an entire network of roads across the whole country.”
Reference: PM James Marape News Page (19 March 2022). “PM Marape announces K159 million road contract for Ramu Highway”.
