Papua New Guinea is working to improve 71 bridges along the Highlands Highway under the second tranche of the Sustainable Highlands Highway Investment Programme.

The bridges will be between Kagamuga Airport in the city of Mount Hagen and Nadzab Airport in the city of Lae – a distance of around 320km and along the economically important Highlands Highway, the main land transport corridor between the Highlands Region and the coast.

Work, including complete replacement of 45 bridges, started in 2020 and should be finished by the end of 2025. One bridge will be doubled in width and all of the bridges will have improved and safer stair access to the water underneath, according to a report by The National newspaper.

The Sustainable Highlands Highway Investment Programme is backed by several international development banks. It aims to improve and maintain over 400km of the Highlands Highway and incorporate road safety features and logistics services for agriculture, a major economic sector for the nation.