THE Department of Public Works is requesting the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation for documents necessary to obtain right-of-way from the Commonwealth Ports Authority for the improvement of Route 35 or Airport Road, which leads to the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport.
The project, financed through a federally funded Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery, involves a 1.05-mile stretch of Airport Road administered under a land title through CPA.
DPW Secretary Ray N. Yumul, in a letter to NMHC Deputy Director Jesse S. Palacios, said DPW “is elated with the funding opportunity available for Route 35 Airport Roadway and Drainage Improvement.”
Yumul, who said Public Law 20-52 gives DPW the authority to address right-of-way, is requesting NMHC’s assistance in determining the right-of-way requirements for the project.
To obtain land title transfer for the right-of-way, he suggested the following “key strategies”:
– CPA could perform a severance of property and transfer a title deed for a severed parcel to right-of-way.
– Absent a title deed transfer, CPA could parcel property with a dedication of easement that can be considered a public right-of-way.
Yumul said DPW needs from NMHC “the necessary requirements to align our efforts and better establish congruency with our projects” to move the project forward.
In an interview on Friday, Yumul said providing DPW the right-of-way for the project is something that former CPA Board Chair Jose C. Ayuyu had worked out with DPW to help fix the road going to the airport.
