Mendi Kandep Highway to be upgraded at last

(As reported in the national)

The Government�s long term solution is to build new roads from Southern Highlands to Gulf, Wau to connect the Hiritano and Highlands to Madang.


Renardet S.A Consulting Engineers will design, scope and build a management structure to effect the road maintenance and improvement program.

Under the ADB program, the Government will chip in K40 million as counter-funding while the donor puts in K80 million.

Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane signed the contract on behalf of the State with Renardet S.A Consulting Engineers led by executive vice president Dr Michele Colangelo at Government House yesterday.

The two contracts signed were for improvement, about K23 million and maintenance worth K19.5 million.

The ADB approved $US2.3 billion in May 2009 which will be drawn down and applied in three stages over seven years. The first stage which will take three years is for the trunk roads which will cost $US140 million.

Designated roads in the first stage are Laiagam-Porgera, Mendi-Kandep, Nipa-Magarima, Magarim-Ambua and Tari-Koroba.

The Highlands Highway is the lifeline of Papua New Guinea�s economy, serving the resource-rich Highlands region, the industrial port city of Lae and the tourist town of Madang which is also undergoing massive resource projects.