Trans National Highway Old relic Inspires Project Engineers to Full Throttle
Photo Caption: Captured is the old works Vehicle at Bema Station in Kaintiba at Gulf Province which tells the rich history that Department of Works & Highways have in the past as a major contributor to Nation Building since Independence
Government engineers from Papua New Guinea Works and Highways Department working tirelessly day and night pushing the barriers and envelope to the brink despite difficult bantering and steep cuts in PNG unforgiving landscape which put to test a civil engineers’ skills of theory into practical.
Works project engineers are punching and navigating the raging rivers, cutting the thick dense forest and scaling the rugged mountainous terrain of the 158.9 kilometers Trans – National Highway with only a mere 40km to go before the road is connected from Lae into Port Moresby.
With the TRANSNATIONAL HIGHWAY NEARING COMPLETION and only 40 KILOMETRES TO GO the works Morobe project team uncovered a priceless relic of an old yellow works PTB vehicle parked at Bema Catholic Station at Kaintiba in Gulf Province.
The old land cruiser 75 series open back single cabin not only represent the department of works rich history of being a major contributor to the development of PNG since Independence but a show of the lost pride which the Government through works department truly touched the lives of people in the remotest parts of PNG, like Bema Station.
The Connect PNG program has re-ignite the passion and pride of being a true patriot by reaching the unreached and connecting the unconnected which successive government of the past have deviated from their task of delivering basic services to its citizens unlike this Government is using connectivity by road as the key ingredient to transform the lives of the people and alleviate poverty by using road connectivity as a tool for economic empowerment.
The transnational highway connecting Morobe Province to Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, via Gulf Province is nearing completion, with just 40 more kilometres left to be constructed.
Connectivity will be paced according to the weather conditions which plays a crucial role in project delivery. The Department of Works and Highways project team is on full throttle, the project is expected to clock the remaining sections by midyear and make preparation to bring the fresh cut to a class three road before the opening of the highway in September this year as anticipated by the Government.
The highway, spanning a total of 158.9 kilometres, aims to bridge the missing link between Oiwa Junction in Aseki, Menyamya, and Epo Junction in Gulf Province. Significant progress has been made, with more than 100 kilometres of the road already constructed.
The two teams from the Department of Works and Highways are actively working on different sections of the project to expedite its completion.
Works Secretary Gibson Holemba recently stated in a local print media report that approximately 40 kilometers of the highway, extending from Oiwa Junction to Bema and then to Kotidanga in Gulf Province, is on track for completion before the 50th Golden Jubilee Celebration in September 16th 2025.
Following the completion of this segment, Holemba noted that construction teams will shift their focus to the section connecting Kerema to Menyamya, further enhancing accessibility and connectivity in the region.
