GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres and Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios have formed two working groups tasked to expedite CNMI infrastructure improvement and recovery.
Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.
MV file photo
While the governor heads the Council of Economic Advisers, the lt. governor will chair the Highway Task Force, Press Secretary Kevin Bautista said in an email interview.
He said the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers is already looking at ways to improve the permitting process so that key projects can get off the ground and attract new investors to the CNMI.
Bautista said island beautification projects, which are ongoing while tourism remains idle, will also help the CNMI get ready for a “bounce back” this year.
As for the Highway Task Force, he said it aims to revitalize Beach Road, Airport Road and push forward the Route 36 project in Talofofo to connect the Kingfisher Golf Links to Kalabera Cave. This will create another access to the north, Bautista said.
“The administration is very excited for the projects [in] 2021, and we look forward to working with private business partners and the Legislature to get these important goals done so that we can create job opportunities and new economic industries for the CNMI moving forward,” he added.
Noting that a lot of progress has been made on infrastructure projects following Super Typhoon Yutu and Typhoon Mangkhut, the press secretary said the governor and lt. governor “made typhoon recovery and infrastructure their top priorities as critical components to the resiliency of our island economy.”
Because of their leadership and the hard work of critical government agencies such as the Northern Marianas Housing Corp., the CNMI Public Assistance Office, the Department of Finance, the Office of Grants Management, and their collaboration with federal partners and local businesses, Bautista said the CNMI secured $244 million through the CDBG-DR program, the largest single grant award in Commonwealth history.
The CNMI, he added, likewise received millions of dollars in grants for the Public School System and Northern Marianas College for school repair and rebuilding.
This critical funding, Bautista said, “will address unmet recovery needs, such as rebuilding of homes, updating our infrastructure, and revitalizing our economy.”
