PM launches Pentecost road project

The Vanuatu Government today launched a major road project on Pentecost Island – a 55 kilometre road which will be the island’s first tar sealed road.

Launching the project, in front of over 1000 people in South Pentecost, Prime Minister Bob Loughman, said Pentecost needed better roads so it could fully realise its economic potential.

Mr Loughman said Pentecost is one of Vanuatu’s leading kava producing islands and supplies kava to Port Vila and Luganville.

“With this new road, we are expecting more people in Pentecost will plant kava because of the easy road access that people will have,” he said.

The Chinese Government is financing the road project through a loan and a grant; and China’s Ambassador to Vanuatu, Zhou Hai Chen, launched the project with the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Loughman says the total cost of the new tar sealed road is VT8 billion and will be constructed in separate stages.

“Stage one will begin at the Beyomo area and go to the Melsisi area,” he said.

“The second stage will start off at Melsisi and go to Bwatnapni; and in the third stage the road will reach North Pentecost.”

Prime Minister Loughman said the project would benefit the whole country, not just Pentecost Island.

People on Pentecost will start seeing machinery arrive on the island this week in preparation for the start of construction work.

Chinese Government loans are also financing major road projects on the islands of Malekula and Tanna, and a project on Ambae has also been given the go-ahead.