Sustainable Highlands Highway Investment Program

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ADB Roads

The Highlands region of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a major contributor to the fragile nation state’s economy through its agricultural and mineral exports. It is also home to approximately 40% of the country’s population, who rely almost exclusively on the road network for movement of people and goods, and thus livelihood opportunities as well as access to health, education, and social facilities. The road network is vulnerable because of the mountainous terrain, the fragile geological conditions, and the climate. The Government of PNG (GoPNG) and its development partners have invested significantly in improving the road network, but a lack of strategically planned and consistently implemented periodic and routine maintenance has left the network in such a poor condition that a significant amount of appropriated funding is annually expended on emergency works.