BY TONY SII
A total 6300 lots for residents and other developments will be created during the next 10 years in Port Moresby, attracting a K4.23 billion investment, according to a feasibility study by the National Capital District Commission.
City manager Leslie Alu said this of the new highway from Badihagwa, through Baruni to Gerehu, in Moresby Northwest, and then to 9-Mile in Moresby Northeast.
It was officially opened yesterday by NCD governor Powes Parkop and named after former prime minister and NCD governor the late Sir William Skate.
Mr Alu said the highway, which is part of the expansion of the city through the 2015 NCD urban development plan, will open up land for residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional development .
He said that apart from cutting travel time of commuters, the highway is a crucial route for future and existing development such as the Baruni Landfill, Napanapa Oil Refinery, Motukea dockyard, the PNG LNG Project storage facility, and Motu-Koitabuan villages as well as facilitate the movement of heavy vehicles involved in the relocation process of the Port Moresby Port to Motukea.
The four-lane highway costs K318 million to build and was funded through a concessional loan from the Exim Bank of China, which will be repaid within 25 years at an interest rate of two per cent.
“I report back to the government and stakeholders that we have managed this project to a top-quality finish and without any cost overrun or variation and finished within the contract cost of K318 million,” he said.
The highway was completed and handed over to NCDC in April 2016.
The contract was awarded to China Harbor Engineering Company in 2013. Work started in mid-2014 and completion expected in December 2015 but was delayed due to the relocation of Tasion Police Barracks. which was within the road corridor, and the bypass around Baruni village.
Mr Parkop assured city residents that the money was well spent as it delivered a world-class facility for the people to celebrate and be proud of.