Raicoast needs K4mil to complete bridge

RAICOAST district needs K4 million to complete work on the Yowor Bridge near Erima outside Madang town, says MP Peter Sapia.
Yowor Bridge was funded by the government under former Raicoast MP James Gau in 2013.
The South Korean company Sun Moon and Star Design and Engineering was engaged to build it over the Yowor River.
But due to funding problems, work on the bridge had to be suspended.
Sapia said he had sought a quotation from another contractor to complete the bridge and would need K4 million.
Bulolo MP Sam Basil who accompanied Sapia to a religious ceremony in the district early this year had promised the Raicoast people that he would assist Sapia to secure funding.
Basil said it would require less than K1 million to construct the decking of the bridge.
“The Yowor Bridge has everything constructed and needs only decking,” Basil said.
Astrolabe Bay community leader Tomat Boleng said Raicoast’s geographical status prevented many developments from taking place.
“There are so many fast-flowing rivers and needs millions of kina to build bridges across them,” Boleng said.
He said authorities should build a better road from Erima to the Saidor government station.