By Colleen Barilae – EM TV News, Lae
Residents of Morobe’s Finschhafen district will be using a new road to travel to and from their villages in the future.
For years, people have walked long distances over mountains to get to the nearest costal seaport, using sea transport services to the city.
The district administration has added two excavators, and three trucks to their existing fleet, which will be used to construct the Lae-Finschhafen road.
The Burum-Kuat community at Lae’s Bumayong area gathered yesterday to witness the support provided by Finschhafen district for the construction of the Lae-Finschafen road.
A Lae-Finschafen road link stretching 42 kilometres has been under construction for three years now, but has not been fully completed.
Since 2013, two building contractors that were hired for a three-year contract have completed a portion of the 14 kilometres agreed to in the Bill of Contract.
Finschhafen MP, Theo Zurenuoc, has presented five pieces of road construction equipment, which will add to the rest of the fleet that the district had been providing to support the road’s construction.
“Among our roads in the district, we have used over K3 million for road costs. Those are not the only machines we have, we also have machines at other areas of the district,” Zurenuoc said.
Judis Mazu, a woman from Finschhafen’s Burum-Kuat LLG said her village is located in the higher lands of the district, and she walks long distances to the nearest coastal point to get on a boat to the city.
“I go through a lot of complications. I walk over hills; I walk down valleys. Despite the harsh wet hot weather conditions we encounter, I still carry my load of goods when walking to and fro,” she said.
Morobe’s Provincial Government and the district jointly fund the Lae-Finschhafen road project.
It will solve transport difficulties villagers face when coming to Lae.
The provincial government has spent K4.5 million, with expectations of the 42km road to be complete in three years time.
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