Official: Busu Bridge ready for use

NAWAEB administrator James Niapukali says the collapsed Busu Bridge in the Wain-Erap local level government area has been restored and will be open for use by this weekend.
Niapukali said restoration work by the Morobe Works division, which started mid-April, had been completed in time for the issue of writs next Thursday.
“This means nominations for intending candidates will take place at Boana Station as usual, which was our aim from the beginning,” he said.
According to Niapukali, continuous rain recently caused the soil around the bridge foundation to erode, causing its collapse on Dec 19.
He said the district development authority (DDA) provided K300,000 for the restoration exercise which saw the structure jacked up, levelled and realigned with a new foundation support.
“The bridge connects almost 8,000 people in Wain-Erap and parts of Nabak into Lae,” he said.
“The disaster caused a delay in services reaching Boana Station, that’s why we had to be quick in restoring the bridge.
“I appreciate the partnership between Works division, the Morobe Disaster and Emergency Office with the DDA for this quick response.”
Niapukali said the first vehicle will do a test-run across the bridge on Friday.