Road closure proves necessary to protect fragile day to day roadworks

The closure of sections of the Northern Highway in Wau Waria District was a painful but necessary decision to protect fragile rehabilitation works from being destroyed day after day, according to the district’s Member of Parliament, Hon. Marsh Narewec, who has appealed to frustrated residents to understand the reality facing road crews on the ground.

In an update addressed to the people of Biaru, Waria, Ono, Bubu and Garaina, Narewec said the criticism and daily complaints surrounding the road closure were understandable, but urged people to recognise that without the blockade, there would have been little to no progress at all.

He revealed that work crews have now reached Papa Kapul ahead of expectations after completing excavation works, something he says would never have happened if vehicles had continued travelling through active construction zones.

“Every small amount of work completed each day had to be protected and allowed to accumulate. If vehicles and machines were allowed to use the road while works were ongoing, each day’s progress would have been destroyed overnight,” he stated.

For weeks, heavy rain, unstable terrain, broken machinery and a shortage of suitable backfilling materials have slowed efforts to restore the battered highway. Yet despite these obstacles, crews have continued pushing forward through mud, damaged crossings and difficult mountain conditions.

Narewec pointed out that many people only see the inconvenience caused by the closure, but not the exhausting struggle taking place behind the scenes to keep the rehabilitation alive.

“This road did not become like this overnight and it cannot be fixed overnight. The little progress we make each day must be protected. That is why the road had to be blocked,” he explained.

He said the successful advance to Papa Kapul now stands as proof that the difficult decision was the correct one.

Roadworks successfully reaching Papa Kapul ahead of scheduled time, proving the road closure was the right decision

Construction teams are expected to remain at Papa Kapul for at least another two weeks before controlled public access can resume.

At the same time, Narewec warned that the district is now facing another serious setback after River Biaru washed away sections of the road between Wisini Village and Taurins, leaving the area impassable once again.

He said the destruction painfully confirmed earlier engineering advice recommending a bypass route away from the riverbank.

“The river has now done exactly what we warned it would do,” he said, expressing disappointment that earlier plans to move the road away from danger had been resisted by the community.

But beyond the politics and arguments over the road, Narewec pointed out that the deeper tragedy is the suffering ordinary people continue to endure as a result of decades of neglect and not just now because of the road closure.

In an emotional part of his statement, he spoke about lives lost due to poor road access, families unable to reach health services in time and communities continually denied basic government services because infrastructure cannot reach them.

He said many of the deaths linked to poor roads are never recorded, never discussed publicly and quietly become part of everyday life in isolated communities.

“My heart goes out to every family who lost a loved one, people have suffered in silence for too long,” he said.

Northern Highway road nicely taking shape as a result of tireless roadworks amidst bad weather and criticisms.

The MP also recalled how a Community Health Post intended for Biaru was eventually relocated to Watut because authorities considered the road too unreliable to support services in the area.

He said the consequences of the failing road extend far beyond transport, affecting education, healthcare, communications and economic opportunities across Wau Waria.

“Without this road we cannot build communications towers, we cannot build Junior High Schools, we cannot build Aid Posts and we cannot establish a district office in Garaina,” he stated.

He stressed that fixing the highway is not simply about convenience, but about finally giving isolated communities access to the services and opportunities many other parts of the country already take for granted.

Narewec said his decision to enter politics in 2022 was deeply connected to the suffering he witnessed among his own people and insisted he would not abandon the fight despite the pressure and criticism.

“We pray for good weather, we pray for understanding and patience. Sick people, public servants, business people, school children and the general public are all in our minds and hearts. We will not rest until this road is open again,” the new district MP said.