A Kagman resident, who requested anonymity, said some parts of the road are now dangerous.
“A part of the highway is full of red dirt and a lot of cars have to slide through. My vehicle nearly got stuck,” she said. “Why did they ‘almost’ finish the first part of the road in San Vicente then skipped a whole section of the road and continue further up ahead into Papago? Why not just finish what was started and move forward?”
Brandon Cepeda, a Kagman I resident, said the construction workers seem to be unaware how slippery the road is.
“I was in a line of cars that were driving down the slope in Papago and a construction worker was trying to stop us. We were all sliding even though we were already going at a slow pace. I told him not to stop us or we’d all end up colliding. Thankfully, he let us through.”
A Kagman III resident, who declined to be identified, said the project is moving too slowly.
“The construction is messing up my tires. I’ve already had a flat tire — twice! My flat tires were caused by nails sticking on a piece of wood from the dirt road. The construction workers should keep a better eye out for hazardous material. We shouldn’t have to suffer more from their carelessness because we are not compensated for the damage we sustain.”
A Capital Hill resident who also asked to remain anonymous asked: “What would happen if there was an emergency and the police were right behind us? We can’t easily pull to the side because there is a sharp drop less than five feet away from the highway between Papago and San Vicente.”
The resident said the construction company, GPPC, should have fixed the most critical part of the highway before proceeding forward.
“Everyone will agree that the most critical part of the highway is the section with the winding road that goes downhill between Papago and San Vicente because it is the most difficult to get through in an emergency.“
The Variety was unable to get a comment from GPPC.
“It’s taking so long!” said Chinatown resident Ailene Sablan. “The tire rod of my pickup is already loose because I’m forced to take this road everyday just to go to my work staff house in Papago.”
Koblerville resident Gydia Lynn Taisacan told Variety that “we are wasting our money on something that didn’t need fixing in the first place. It’s wrecking our tires and making it difficult for drivers that are living up in Kagman. We are having a hard time getting around.”
Asked for comment, Department of Public Works Secretary Martin C. Sablan said: “We broke down the project into three phases. The first phase, however, has been running into unforeseen problems like hitting water lines and underground telephone lines. We also have to relocate telephone poles which takes time to do and causes delay. In order to properly address these issues, the proper authorities need to be contacted.”
He added, “The workers are trying to do their best because the project is delayed further when the weather is not good. However, we broke it down into different phases in order to expedite the project. GPPC was awarded the project to start phase 2 which is the Papago area and has been running into unforeseen problems like soft spots on the road. We regret that it’s a mess but that does not relieve the contractor from making the roads safe and passable so I am requesting the public to be patient. I hope they understand that once this project is done, we will have a better, safer road.”
