Because many of Guam’s roads are structurally unable to handle the heavy truck loads needed for the construction of projects associated with the buildup, the military plans on “improving” them.
I use quotation marks because “improvement” suggests that our roads will be “better.” A review of the draft environmental impact statement shows that, although roads will technically be better, driving conditions on Guam’s roads will be worse.
One way the draft impact statement measures the impact of the buildup on Guam’s roadways is the level of service. Level of service, according to the draft impact study, describes traffic conditions by measuring how long a driver can expect to wait at a particular intersection. There are six levels of service, ranging from A through F, with F being a delay of over 80 seconds. Although level E, a delay between 55.1 to 80 seconds, is typically a failing grade, the DEIS considers any level above F acceptable.
Even with these lowered standards, 24 out of 28 intersections in Central Guam will have an F rating in 2014. To give you an idea of what this means in real time, the DEIS estimates in Volume 6, Chapter 4, pages 20 through 21, that someone driving on Marine Corps Drive from Dededo to Hagåtña in the morning can currently expect a delay of about 11 minutes and 40 seconds. In figures found on page 73, the DEIS predicts that same driver should expect a delay of one hour and 16 minutes in 2014. Traffic conditions will improve in 2013 to a 21 minute 24 second delay, or about twice as much of the current delay.
The draft impact statement also discusses the volume capacity of Guam’s roads, or the number of cars on the road divided by the number of cars the road was meant to handle. Marine Corps Drive currently has between 32,000 and 73,000 cars per day with a volume capacity generally below .80. According to Volume 6, Chapter 4, page 66, the number of cars is expected to rise by 27,000 in 2014 and 19,000 in 2030 per day. This means an increase in congestion.
These estimates are based on an assumption, which can be found in Volume 6, Chapter 4, page 40, that all 17,000 of the off-island construction workers brought to Guam will live near they work and be transported to their work sites before most people are commuting to and from work. This assumption is questionable considering that a map found in Volume 2, Chapter 16, page 56 shows that most temporary workers will live near Tumon.
We are set to go through many concrete changes in the near future. Fortunately, regardless of whether you consider the changes to be “improvements,” we will all have plenty of time to sit in our cars and appreciate the fresh pavement.
LEEVIN TAITANO CAMACHO
Yigo, Guam
