More trouble after floods wash away culvert in Madang

By DOROTHY MARK
THE Madang national works department is working hard to fix two sections of the highway cut off recently.
The Banab Bridge along North Coast Road linking Madang and Bogia collapsed in January and is yet to be fixed. And a culvert across the Madang Usino highway was washed away by floodwaters last week.
A 90-metre bridge parts brought by the national works department to be built at Banab were taken to Usino last week when a contractor took over the bridge construction work from the national works department.
However, sources said the department was advised to take the materials back to Banab over the weekend.
National works manger Andrew Kendaura and his team are working to link the highway and have created a bypass for light vehicles to cross.
Usino Bundi MP Jimmy Uguro appealed to the people to remain calm and help passengers travelling to and from the highway.
Uguro said the situation at the highway was the national Government’s responsibility, which the works department was responsible for.
He said he did not want to see problems that people faced at Banab repeated at Usino.
Uguro urged the national works department to put the bailey bridge across so that services could flow.
“The Madang Usino highway links Morobe and the highlands provinces and when it is cut off, it slows down the business activities and affects the economy,” he said.