Bridge needed for people to access services

THE Situm River in Nawaeb, Morobe, is in need of a new bridge so people and vehicles can cross when the river is flooded.
Public motor vehicles (PMVs) and other vehicles are often stranded with passengers because the width of the river.
PMV owner John Rick, from Bukawa who uses the Situm road, said when the river flooded, they lost business and needed a bridge to be built so that travelling would not be affected.
Rick said parts of the Situm road also needed be upgraded or sealed.
He said children cross the river to school, the people also cross the river to reach basic health services on the other side of the river and nothing had been done by previous governments and Nawaeb leaders till now.
Nawaeb MP Kennedy Wenge said talks were being held to address the situation.
Wenge said he had spoken with the Morobe works department to build the bridge.
He said once the Morobe works team finalised their plans, work would start on the bridge.
Attempts to contact Morobe works manager Kingston Kassen for comments were unsuccessful.
The road crossing the Situm River to Bukawa is part of the Fisika Highway linking the Finschhafen, Siassi and Kabwum.
The previous government under Peter O’Neill had allocated funding to build the highway in their 2019 budget.
Prime Minister James Marape, in his recent visit to Lae, said he would return to discuss the upgrading of Fisika, Bulolo-Menyamya and other major roads in Morobe.