WASHINGTON, D.C. (Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate) — U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan thanked the Biden administration for granting the Commonwealth $11,177,918 to improve infrastructure in the core Garapan tourist area.
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan
“Congress appropriated these disaster recover funds in June 2019 and the Commonwealth quickly submitted an application for Garapan revitalization, but the previous [Trump] administration did not act,” Sablan said.
“So, the congressional office met with the Biden transition’s Commerce Department team shortly after the election and asked that the Commonwealth’s disaster grant applications be prioritized.”
Altogether, the Commonwealth submitted seven applications worth $95 million from the disaster funds Congress appropriated in Public Law 116-20. Up to now only one application had been approved: $10.7 million for a workforce development and training facility at Northern Marianas College.
The award of $11.2 million will be used to upgrade streets in the Garapan area, where so many tourists spend time. Streets will be widened to approximately 24 feet with a minimum of 6 feet of sidewalks for tourists’ safety and comfort. New lighting, landscaping, and street markings and signages will be installed. In all, 10,685 linear feet of roads will be repaved.
The grant is expected to help create nearly 300 jobs and generate more than $1.3 million in private investment.
