Ramu NiCo is assisting the District Works Department and local contractors with culverts and tools for the construction of a temporary by-pass for vehicles travelling along the recently collapsed Dumpu Bridge, Omea Bridge and Menia Bridge along the Madang Ramu Highway that had been washed away by flooding last week.
The China owned nickel and cobalt mining giant in the province and the country has taken the initiative to purchase 8 new culverts and distributed to the three local contractors appointed by the Works Department to fix and install new bridge frames on the collapsed bridges along the Madang Highway.
Ramu NiCo has taken this initiative based on its “One Ramu NiCo, One Community” slogan to work together with the district and province as a corporate citizen of the country and the province.
The 8 new culverts were purchased in Lae Morobe Province by RNML’s own initiative to assist the local contractor’s work, maintain the flow chain from Madang and the other province and prevent vehicles from being washed away in an attempt to drive across the flowing rivers.
Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Limited (RNML) officer Michael Guo said the company purchased the culvert pipes from Lae and were distributed to the three local contractors.
“This will assist light and heavy vehicles to travel into and out of Madang while the local contractor’s engineers and Works Department continue to work on rebuilding the new bridges that were affected by flooding,” Guo said.
He said RNML has assisted the local contractor with tools and technical assistance to install the temporary by-pass for light and heavy vehicles at Dumpu Bridge and will do the same to contractors of Omea Bridge and Menia Bridge respectively during their construction along the highway.
He said the three bridges act as a life line for Madang Province for food, fuel and the general public to access the other provinces that are connected by road.
Foreman for Yameyam Construction Nizon Kelly currently working at Dumpu Bridge thanked RNML for stepping in and giving a helping hand to restore the normal traffic of the highway connecting Madang, Ramu Sugar, Morobe Province and the Highlands Province.
He said the assistance from RNML will now make their work finish in time with traffic diverted to the new temporary by-pass and the team will concentrate on the new bridge.
Project Officer for the Works Departments who is monitoring the construction at Dumpu Bridge, Engineer Rojer Yoka said the new structure for Dumpu Bridge is already on the ground and work will start soon after the old bridge structure is removed for the contractor to start installing.
“I want to thank RNML who has delivered 8 new culverts that was distributed to the other two contractors to build temporary by-pass while they work on installing the new structure,” the Project Officer for the Works Department said.
Yoka said currently the road is only accessed by light vehicles that have four-wheel drives and have snorkels installed in the vehicles that drive across the three flowing rivers.
He said the installation of the new culverts will allow the traffic to run normally and Yameyame Construction will concentrate on installing the new structures.
The team from RNML assisted the local contractors and the team from the Works Department on the 22nd of this month and will continue to work with them until all three bridges are completed.
Ends ///
Officers from Yameyame Construction, RANM and District Works Department at Dumpu Bridge during the installation
of the two Culverts Pipes for the temporary by-pass on Monday 25th of March.
The two new Culverts to be installed at Dumbu Bridge for a temporary by-pass for the travelling vehicles to and from Madang Province.
The Collapsed Dumpu Bridge