Bridge over troubled Tapo

The National Weekender
ROADS
A view of the frameworks of the new bridge and the wet crossing underneath it still in use.

By KEVIN PAMBA
THE Tapo River wet crossing along the Madang-Ramu Highway took the lives of two police officers on the night of Dec 12, 2017.
Madang police taskforce leader, Sergeant Willie Marita and Constable Clement Vilau were killed when attempting to drive across the Tapo while the river was flooding. Their colleague, Constable Justin Baugen survived when he was rescued clinging onto reeds along the flooded river.
The police officers were travelling on duty when disaster struck them at the wet crossing.
The December 2017 tragedy sits at the top of the numerous mishaps and inconveniences caused by the Tapo wet crossing when the river floods. This has been the norm since the wet crossing existed following the construction of the Madang- Ramu road many years ago.
Thanks to the Governments of China and PNG, all those overnight sleep-overs on the banks of the flooded Tapo and other mishaps and inconveniences will be things of the past when a big double-lane concrete bridge is opened soon.
The Chinese have built a two-lane concrete bridge over the Tapo River and it is almost ready for use in the coming days. Yes, you read me right, a two-lane bridge and not the typical one-lane Bailey bridge or similar that we are used to on our major roads and rural feeder roads.
According to a news report published by The National on Nov 19, 2018, the double-lane Tapo concrete bridge is part of a bridge replacement and construction package worth K133 million along the Madang-Ramu Highway and Sepik Highway.
For the Madang-Ramu component, K88 million was allocated for the construction of the double-lane concrete bridges over Tapo and five other rivers, namely Wasigo, Dry Wara, Bora, Waput and Gusap.
The balance of K32 million was allocated to the construction of three double-lane bridges along the Sepik Highway.
China Overseas Engineering Group Company (PNG) Ltd is the contractor building the bridges over Tapo and other rivers while Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (PNG) Ltd (SMEC), an engineering and development consultancy firm, is managing the project.

  • Dr Kevin Pamba is an academic based at the Divine Word University, Madang and is a regular user of the Madang-Ramu Highway.