In an interview, Songsong said Phase II which starts from Papago to the Kagman intersection, took a “big step” when it received $4.5 million in federal funds.
The total cost of the project is over $5 million, which means the CNMI will only have to raise more than $500,000.
Because of the stimulus funds, the 1.5-mile Phase II may start along with the two-mile Phase I which involves improvement of the road from the San Vicente roundhouse to Papago.
Phase I, which is now up for bidding, did not get stimulus funds, Songsong said, but it is expected to start a soon as one of the bidders is awarded the contract.
The next phase of the Cross-Island project is the improvement of the 1.75-mile portion of Isa Drive, or the back road, from the Kagman intersection to Capital Hill, while the final phase is the 1.85 miles from Capital Hill to Sadog Tase.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, the Cross-Island project also involves construction of the drainage system along the back road.
