Wereh points out roads badly affected by earthquake

Several roads in Southern Highlands and Hela have been identified as critically affected, says Works and Implementation Secretary David Wereh.
Yesterday, Wereh said: “In terms of roads, there are a number of places that have been identified to be critically affected.
“We’ve got existing contracts and arrangements, so contractors are already working on site.
“They are responding to these landslips on site.
“From Mendi to Agula, we have 19 landslips and according to reports we are getting, these slips have all been cleared.
“There is one major landslip at the bottom of Tidomi – that’s where we are trying to get some assistance and support from security personnel to try to open it up.
“Another critical section is from Nogoli going down to the Hides plant. Roads at this time are critical in terms of moving fuel and other goods up to the affected sites.
“We’re giving our priority to ensuring that road accessibility is restored.
“By Monday, Tuesday, we’ll be despatching bridge experts on site to check the entire length of the road so we know the current condition of bridges after the earthquake.
“Based on the full investigation and full assessment of both roads and bridges, we’ll come up with a cost and bring it back to the disaster coordination committee.”
Wereh said his department had received reports that the Mendi-Kandep Road was badly affected at four locations where the road was completely blocked off.
“By tomorrow (today), we should start clearing the landslips on the Mendi-Kandep Road,” he said.
“The main thing at this stage is to ensure accessibility, work on the slips and then look at major reconstruction following studies and assessment by the expert team.”