A portion of Marine Corps Drive is closed off as work to upgrade lane markers continues on Tuesday in Hagåtña.
Photo by David Castro/The Guam Daily Post
HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Two road projects tied to the military buildup and worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars were announced Tuesday by Acting Gov. Joshua Tenorio.
“Together, these projects represent Guam’s largest coordinated road infrastructure undertaking in over a generation,” Tenorio said.
The Defense Access Road or DAR projects total some $260 million and are funded through the Department of Defense and the Federal Highway Administration. The DAR program is a federal initiative to improve civilian roadways impacted by military growth, according to a release from the Office of the Governor.
The projects will be administered by the Department of Public works and are designed to strengthen Guam’s core roadway infrastructure from north to south.
“Every village on Guam is connected by Route 1, and every resident depends on it,” said Tenorio. “This level of investment ensures we’re building a safer, stronger and more resilient Guam today and for generations to come.”
Construction will be executed in phases and will be “fully coordinated to minimize traffic disruption and maximize construction efficiency,” according to the governor’s office.
The first phase is scheduled to begin in December at a cost of $82.5 million to replace five functionally obsolete bridges on Marine Corps Drive from Hagåtña to Piti:
• Atantano Bridge (north of Navy main gate)
• Lagua Bridge (between Atantano and Sasa)
• Sasa Bridge (south of Route 18, near Polaris Point)
• Asan Bridge (at War in the Pacific Memorial Park)
• Fonte Bridge (near Pigo Cemetery)
The bridges were not built to handle the increasing weight and frequency of commercial and military vehicle traffic, and replacement will ensure long-term safety, increased load capacity and resilience in the event of natural disasters, according to the governor’s office.
The second phase will be to retrofit underpavement infrastructure from Naval Base Guam in Sånta Rita-Sumai to Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz in Dededo.
At a cost of $167 million, some 33 lane-miles of pavement on Route 1 and Route 3 will be strengthened to support heavy vehicle traffic in both directions.
Manhole and utility structure covers will also be reinforced to handle the demands of military and commercial transportation, the governor’s office stated.
The project is divided into two separate construction packages: $105 million from NBG main gate to the Chamorro Village, and $62 million from the Chamorro Village to Camp Blaz.
Last week, Guam Delegate James Moylan announced that another $50 million in Community Project Funding, or CPF, for Guam’s DAR was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The funding will also go toward repaving roads, replacing aging bridges and placing power lines underground to improve safety, reduce maintenance costs and ensure reliable access for both residents and military personnel, Moylan said.
The appropriation measure still needs Senate approval and ultimately a final signature by President Donald Trump.
