Aust-PNG partnership invests in Alotau Bridge

Ahioma Bailey Bridge outside Alotau town opened last Tuesday will link communities to the provincial capital *(Image: NBC owned)*

A bailey bridge opened in Alotau on Tuesday has been hailed a safe river crossing for commuters along Alotau’s East cape Highway.

The project, a shared investment by the Department of Works and Highways and the Australian Government under the PNG Australia Partnership is one of a few investments of the same, within Milne Bay.

The Ahioma Bailey Bridge located 7kilometers outside Alotau town is a success story under the PNG Australia Partnership, constructed in under three months, and plays a critical role in linking communities to the provincial capital.

First Secretary Transport & Infrastructure, Australian High Commission, Juan Zhang, said condusive links to travel helps people to receive services they need.

"This bridge is a vital link as it will connect communities to government services, farmers to markets and patienst to hospitals. Safe and dependable infrustructure is not about mobility, it is about opportunity." She said.

There to witness the occasion, Alotau MP Ricky Morris added it’s a bridge link not just for Alotau but for its fellow island districts as well.

"With the sixty percent of population living on the Island, all other parts of Samarai Murua will benefit from thsi bridge," Morris said.

Built through the partnership of the Department of Works & Highways and the Australian Government, the people who will use this bridge were urged to take ownership and care of it.

Currently, Australia’s investment in Milne Bay province includes 9 proforma maintenance contracts totaling K9million and a further K38million on a long-term maintenance project along a 127kilometer national road along the Magi Highway.