SG Auto Shop mechanic Remuel Maritano stands next to the boom truck that overturned on Earhart Drive in Gualo Rai on July 14, 2023.
THE Department of Public Works has completed the engineering design for the pavement of Earhart Drive in Gualo Rai, but they are still waiting for funding, DPW Secretary Ray N. Yumul said.
In an interview on Thursday, Yumul said the DPW’s Technical Services Division engineers have estimated that the cost of paving the accident-prone portion of the road is $350,000.
He said the department is “on top of the issue, but we can’t do anything without the funding.”
In May, Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Jose Blas Camacho asked Finance Secretary Tracy B. Norita to transfer to the Earhart Drive improvement project the $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds that the Saipan Mayor’s Office had earlier certified for the improvement of drainage on Flores Rosa St. in Garapan.
But according to the chairman of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Rep. John Paul P. Sablan, they have identified another funding source for the Earhart Drive improvement project, and are now finalizing an appropriation bill.
Residents on Earhart Drive have expressed concern about the poor condition of the road’s unpaved portion which, over the years, have caused several accidents.
Residents said when it rains, the runoff makes the road conditions worse.
