ROAD RE-OPENS ACCESS TO LAKE MURRAY AND FLY RIVER COMMUNITIES

CAPTION: Governor Yotto being welcomed at Wangawanga Village

By KENNY ROMANUS

FOR years, communities around Lake Murray have struggled with limited road access after the logging company that operated in the area left in the early 2000s.

Since then, the former road corridor became heavily overgrown with vines, ferns, shrubs and bushes, forcing residents to rely largely on costly boat transport to travel to Kiunga for government and other essential services.

The Fly River Provincial Government (FRPG) has taken steps to restore the road through an upgrade and maintenance program aimed at providing Lake Murray communities with safer, more affordable and reliable road access.

Western Province Governor Taboi Awi Yotto this week made his first road trip from Kiunga to Aiambak and back, travelling along one of the road projects funded through the FRPG and Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) Tax Credit Scheme (TCS).

Governor Yotto departed from Fly River Side in Kiunga at about 11am and travelled approximately 191 kilometres to Aiambak in the Middle Fly District before returning to Kiunga at around 10pm.

The roadworks are being undertaken by WP Engineering, a contractor engaged by the FRPG. Work began at Kukuzaba, where a 25-kilometre feeder road connects with the main Aiambak-Kiunga road.

From the Kukuzaba junction, the road extends towards Kokas in the Upper Lake Murray area, continues to Kewe in Lower Lake Murray, then passes through Kasa before reaching Aiambak/Wangawanga.

The project is expected to significantly improve access for Lake Murray communities by making travel to Kiunga easier and reducing their dependence on expensive boat transportation.

In 2024, residents were estimated to use around 1,000 litres of fuel, equivalent to five drumsfor a single trip to meet their transport needs.

After reaching Aiambak, the contractor continued work from kilometre 127 at the Kukuzaba junction to kilometre 141, where the project connected with sections being constructed by OTML contractors Start West Construction Limited and China Railway Construction Limited.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Kukuzaba Junction, Governor Yotto said approximately K15 million had been spent on the road upgrade and maintenance project.

He said the improved road had already reduced travel time significantly.

“It takes four hours from Kukuzaba to Kiunga by dinghy, but by road now it only takes one hour,” Governor Yotto said.

He explained that the road had become overgrown with small trees, vines and grass after the logging company operating in the area departed in the early 2000s.

Governor Yotto said the road was now accessible and, once gravelled, would provide a durable all-weather transport link for communities for an estimated 15 to 20 years.

He also acknowledged OTML for its support in helping the Provincial Government address longstanding challenges in securing access to the remaining section of the road.

“OTML has come in a big way to support the Provincial Government. We’ve been building the road silently for the last four to five years, and we’ve been able to reach up to kilometre 141. But beyond that, we were not able to secure support from the local landowners because they had issues with previous road builders as well as the contractors,” he said.

“Those are the legacy issues that didn’t give us access to connect the road up to Kiunga.”

Governor Yotto said the impact of El Niño, combined with OTML’s engagement and support for local communities, helped persuade landowners to grant access for the final section of the road.

He said the remaining kilometres could now be completed through continued cooperation between landowners, the Provincial Government and development partners.

The Governor emphasised that the consent and cooperation of local landowners remained essential to the project’s success.

“If the landowners are not happy to build the road, then we have to respect their rights. But now that they have given their consent, we were able to connect the last 50 kilometres and we can access the road,” he said.

Governor Yotto said the project demonstrated the benefits of cooperation between local communities, development partners and the Provincial Government in addressing long-standing infrastructure challenges.