K800,000 temporary bridge opens at Haumo

By PETER ESILA
A TEMPROARY 40-metre bridge built at a cost of K800,000 opened in Haumo in the Huhu local level government area of Alotau on Saturday – but a permanent one is needed, Milne Bay Governor John Luke Crittin says.
Crittin is hoping a permanent bridge will be built in the near future and not 20 years later.
The bridge connects Alotau and Gurney Airport.
Works Minister Michael Nali said the next bridge should be higher because there was plenty of gravel on the banks.
“There may come times in life when we might need an excavator or a dozer to go under the bridge to make sure that the bottom part of the bridge is cleared all the time so that water can flow freely,” Nali said.
“We are now starting to build double-lane bridges and concrete them so rather then we doing a bridge over and over again, when we have an opportunity, I would want us to put up a two-lane concrete bridge to replace this.
“I do not have the money but I will leave it to the young man behind me (Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel) to try to help us to look for some money.”
Abel, who is also an Alotau MP, said it was an important piece of infrastructure and “we have been having headaches with this river for many years, and it is a similar issue on the other side — the Golanai Bridge.”
“So we have been talking about this for some time now, we need a proper permanent bridge, two-lane bridge, and I need walkways on both sides of that bridge for the pedestrians to walk up
and down and for traffic to flow freely.”
The opening was witnessed by Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Patrick Basa, Forestry Minister Douglas Tomuriesa, Justice Minister Davis Steven and delegates from the National Fisheries Authority.
The opening coincided with the opening of two National Fisheries Authority-funded K5.1 million temporary, informal markets in Alotau.