Minister Michael Nali said the Department of Works is managing 250 existing contracts worth K4 billion, but that budget is insufficient to see all of them through to completion.
He said this number comes from workers hired by the government, but it may be higher. He was speaking at a road opening in Lae last week.
“That number of contractors is worth around K4 billion but with infrastructure developments, whether it is roads, bridges, wharves, and other infrastructure buildings, this money is not enough,” Mr Nali said.
“We need more money to properly maintain our roads, and infrastructures in the country.”
He also said that the department is focused on ensuring that all roads are built to the department's specifications.
“Standards of roads have changed completely and we are starting to build solid infrastructures and we want to improve on how we build roads,” he said.
Mr Nali said that while districts and provinces hire contractors to construct roads in their regions, the roads must meet certain requirements.
He is advising the districts and regional governments to collaborate with the department's engineers to ensure that all contractors follow the defined requirements.
“We want to build standards in infrastructure as we want roads to last for years and not undergoing maintenance every year,” he said.
