A SENIOR citizen of Madang has criticised the ongoing maintenance work on the main town road or Modilon Road, labelling it as ‘sub-standard’.
Maintenance on the five kilometre road has been ongoing for well over a year with many people already raising concerns and queries about its completion.
Former Works Manager and Civil Engineer, Daniel Muturam, is a long- time resident of Madang town. He says the Department of Works and Highways has a lot of questions to answer regarding the current work on the road, which he describes as sub-standard.
Madang District Works, a company created by the now suspended MP for Madang, Bryan Kramer, are undertaking the current work on the Madang town road. Muturam said the Modilon Road has many structural defects.
“This is a serious situation and I have no idea where those civil engineers working on the road had come up with such a road construction plan,” Muturam said.
His main concern is that the cost of maintenance for the Modilon Road, which could, in the end, well exceed the cost of constructing a new five-kilometre road.
As it is now, he said, potholes are already appearing on the road and he appealed to all Madang MPs to make it their business to take up this matter on the Floor of Parliament for the Government to address.
Other town residents have also raised serious concerns about the volume of dust created by the road construction.
Madang Urban LLG ward councillor, Mathew Manelep said people have been developing cough and sore eyes because of this. He added that the only water cart spraying water over the road works to control dust, isn’t really helping the situation.