Australian funded works underway on road to Kieta Port

Australia and the Autonomous Bougainville Government have begun pavement repairs in preparation for the resealing of the road from Arawa to Rigu Bridge, a project that will support export growth, local businesses and consumers.

The works, delivered by Dekenai, Bougainville Earth Works, Kompaini and Eastrac, are part of a larger K13.3 million project which includes the already completed upgrade to eight of Arawa’s town roads.

The road from Arawa Town to Rigu Bridge connects the Kieta Port to the rest of Central Bougainville and beyond. The port brings in over 150 containers per month with hardware, building supplies, store goods, medical supplies and more. The manager of Kieta Port, Charlie Tabura, said that the road improvements would be a real boost for Bougainville.

“Improving the road quality will reduce travel times and vehicle maintenance costs whilst improving safety for all road users. These are substantial benefits for local businesses and their customers.”

“Kieta Port also exports locally grown cocoa and copra as far as Singapore and New Zealand. This road will support growth opportunities in Bougainville’s agriculture sector.” said Tabura.

Australia’s acting High Commissioner, Bronte Moules, noted that this project would further improve Bougainville’s transport network.

“Australia is pleased to be able to fund these works to better connect the people and businesses of Bougainville. Different modes of transport will now be linked in a safer and more reliable way which will have a significant impact for the region,” Ms Moules said.

This month has seen preparatory works commence for the resealing project. Local contractors have been engaged to prepare nearly ten kilometres of road for the new seal.

This project is funded by the Australian Aid Program and delivered through the Transport Sector Support Program (TSSP). TSSP has also recently funded the resealing from Morgan Junction to Tunuru in addition to the regular ongoing maintenance of Bougainville’s main trunk road and the loop from Arawa south through Buin, Tonu, Sovele, Jaba and Panguna. TSSP works in Southern 

Bougainville are complementary to road sealing work being funded by the PNG National Government.