The construction of the 5km Madang Town Road Sealing Project from the main wharf to Bidal Junction (Jant Compound Junction) is ongoing as citizens complain about the delay in sealing.
Only about 2.5km of road has been sealed whilst the other 2.5km is still on hold as Madang Provincial Works are trying their best to get all the suited materials on hand before work can continue.
According to Madang District Administrator, Albert Ului, there has been some delay due to sourcing of materials as one of their crushers, used for cracking stones (chips), had a breakdown, and is unable to be utilized at the moment.
Provincial Works needs the 14ml and 12ml crushed stones in order to complete the sealing process.
He states that they have been looking for another company to assist with crushed stones.
Yet another delay in construction is water-clogged areas which need to be fixed by adding bigger culverts, there are two areas, one near Tusbab at Smugglers in and the second one being at Handimart.
Ului states that once these two areas are sorted out, roadworks can commence during this month.
As the road project was not in the District's Plan, money had to be sourced in order to carry out this project.
The Administrator affirms that having money is not an issue but limiting factors such as the availability of materials. He is sure that if these two issues surrounding the delay of the roadworks are cleared, the month of September will see that the remaining sealing is done.
With the estimated time of completion being set at October this year, people are quite perplexed as to how it has taken so long for this stretch of road to be completed, regardless of the obstacles being faced. The construction of the road began in December 2022 up to date.
Dust has become an issue for commuters as sometimes it creates a smokescreen that vehicles need headlights to see through, Health-wise it has posed risks in respiratory diseases and coughing and more vehicle owners are complaining about the expensive wear and tear duration for their vehicles.
Limiting the health risks, the District office has been sending water trucks to spray the roads easing dust for a few hours each day.
Meanwhile, most of the roads within the urban area are drastically in need of maintenance, as small to large craters appear in place of a bitumen surface.