THE Nine-Mile-Erima stretch of Hiritano Highway was finally opened by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill on Friday.
This stretch has been under intense scrutiny from drivers and commuters for months because of its round-the-clock traffic jams into and out of the city. Costing K77 million, the road section had been widened and re-sealed, beginning from the Nine-Mile roundabout and ending at Erima roundabout. Mr O’Neill said at the opening the moment was historic and that with the city population growing and infrastructures of the city expanding, the road would play a vital role in ensuring basic services were accessed by residents living beyond the city boundary. The construction phase had endured the ire of commuters and drivers who had had to cope with long traffic jams that lasted for up to an hour, stretching all the way to Nine-Mile. The project could have been completed earlier had it not been for legal action taken this year by settlers over their displacement from the road site. NCD Governor Powes Parkop said that the road opening would allow commuters and drivers to travel in safety and comfort and on time to the city for work and school. Included in the reconstruction of this section of Hiritano Highway is the new Eight-Mile Bridge and widening from a two-lane to a four-lane roadway while 800m of road from Wildlife to Erima had also been sealed. The upgrading and expansion is part of a city road redevelopment totalling K500 million and will see massive reconstruction on all roads to ensure residents have less problems with traffic jams. The redevelopment will also cater for an influx of visitors in the city for the 2015 Pacific Games and the upcoming APEC summit in 2018. Last year Mr O’Neill said the road projects will ease traffic congestion and improve traffic flow, and give our capital a big facelift. This is one of many road projects completed or still under construction within and around the city. Comments are closed.
|
Papua New Guinea Breaking NewsPapua New Guinea daily News updates Let Your Voice be heard: Submit your news articles, commentaries, letters , Photos, Media Releases etc to us on this email: pngfacts@gmail.com
Mining & PetroleumTop Links |