Brian Melairei, CIP Manager said that a preliminary cost estimate for the rehabilitation or restoration is also being prepared.
Melairei told reporters that there numerous locations along the Compact Road that were affected during the heavy rains experienced last week.The major landslides were located along the West Coast route (Aimeliik to Ngardmau), in Ngatpang and Ngaremlengui.These landslides he said came down from side slopes on cut areas and completely blocked the road for one to two days. Public Works road maintenance crew have removed these slides and the roadway is now open to public vehicular traffic, he said.On the East Coast route, a major landslide has occurred in Ngchesar between the Jungle River Cruise and the Ngchesar-Koksai intersection.Approximately 200 feet of paved roadway that sits on an embankment failed during the heavy rains.He said that the government has secured the services of a private contractor to open a detour access road at this vicinity for temporary access.He said there was another road failure that was caused by the unusual weather event is the concrete below the west end of the runway at the airport.“You can notice this when you drive to Babledaob using the airport road. About 150 feet of road at this area is a “one lane” roadway due to embankment failure. The public is advised to approach these areas with extra caution,” Melairei said.President Johnson Toribiong in an interview said the landslides are expected but the road failure is considered a structural damage.The government has $3 million Compact Road maintenance fund.
