Traffic leading to the Ada gym at around 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2024.
This portion of Texas Road directly behind the MHS gym is a secondary road. Mayor RB Camacho wants to know if it can be opened to alleviate traffic on Beach Road.
SAIPAN Mayor RB Camacho would like to see a portion of Texas Road, which connects Chalan Kanoa to Oleai, made available to traffic in order to alleviate congestion on Beach Road caused by ongoing roadway construction.
In a Jan. 10 letter to Department of Public Lands Secretary Teresita Santos, Camacho also requested information regarding “any plans or initiatives” that DPL “may have for Texas Road.”
“I am interested in knowing if there are any proposed improvements, expansions, or modifications to address the current traffic challenges,” Camacho said. “If there are no specific plans in place for Texas Road at the moment, I kindly request for your department’s consideration for temporarily opening Texas Road to diffuse the heavy traffic jam.”
Santos told Variety that she was drafting an official response to the mayor that could be available as early as Jan. 12.
According to Section 2 of Public Law 20-52, the Department of Public Works is exclusively authorized to promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to rights of way.
Camacho said in the past, Texas Road stretched from Chalan Kanoa to Oleai.
He is also aware that there may be portions of Texas Road that are private property.
Variety learned that the area of Texas Road directly behind the Marianas High School gymnasium is a secondary gravel road adjacent to homes.
This is the portion of Texas Road that can be made available to the public, he said.
“I’m just raising the concern because I’ve witnessed the traffic jam,” Camacho added, noting that his office in Oleai is right by the construction area. “We should find some alternate [routes]. The motorists are frustrated,” he said.
The traffic on Beach Road could also interfere with public safety, he added.
“I’m also concerned for the emergency vehicles,” he said, adding that he had seen ambulances stuck in traffic because vehicles had no space along certain portions of Beach Road to pull over.
A vehicle exits Texas Road to make its way to Chalan’s Kiya three-way intersection. Behind the vehicle, Texas Road stretches past homes and Oleai Elementary School before it connects to a secondary road.
This screenshot displays the area of Texas Road that is unpaved and not used by the public.
