By Mortimer Yangharry
Wabag Open MP and Health Minister Hon.Dr Lino Tom is optimistic that road construction on the Maramuni-Sepik section of the proposed Enga-Sepik Highway will reach East Sepik Province towards the end of the year.
When providing an exclusive update of this Connect PNG Road Program funded national project, the People’s Party parliamentary leader confirmed that construction of the log bridge over the Suwi River is complete.
“Three new machines on the Pasalagus side (Wakem Area) are doing wet crossing over to Nelyaku to join one that was on that side (total of 4 PC210 excavators),” Minister Lino said.
The second term Wabag Open MP mentioned that the pilot tract is currently at Nelyaku which is another council ward of the Maramuni Local Level Government (MLLG) and will head to the Tapend Council Ward this month continuing onwards to Poreak.
Nelyaku, Tapend and Poreak are three different council wards which are several kilometres apart and scattered over untouched rainforests and steep geographical terrains that have never been occupied by humans since time immemorial.
“It won’t go up to Poreak but swing right and cross lower Maramuni and climb the last mountain range onto the Sepik plains,” a determined Minister Lino said.
With the consistent momentum in the current road construction progress, Minister Lino is confident the Wabag District Development Authority team building this economic road link will reach the Sepik Plains towards the end of the year.
The Enga-Sepik Highway Road project was initiated by the Wabag District Development Authority in 2018 and supported by the national government through the Connect PNG Road Program.
Currently, the Wabag-Maramuni section is accessible with vehicles travelling into Wabag town which is the main significant reason behind all the 13 council wards of the Maramuni LLG blocking all their first preference votes for Hon.Dr Lino Tom last year during polling in the 2022 National General Elections.
