DPW talks traffic as classes resume

With road repairs and construction in full swing along Beach Road and the 2023-24 school year fully kicking off next week, the Department of Public Works is laying the groundwork to share with the public what can be expected and how to avoid unnecessary holdups.

DPW was joined by its project contractors and members of partnering agencies at the DPW office in Oleai yesterday in a press briefing meant to share with the public what can be expected as classes resume.

DPW Secretary Ray Yumul and his team were joined in yesterday’s briefing by members of the construction project’s general contractor, GPPC; construction management, Pacific Engineering Group Services; Department of Public Safety, and the Public School System.

PSS’ Shawn San Nicolas shared that, in anticipation of the traffic, one of the solutions they have come up with is to make some adjustments in the dropoff points, and to come up with alternate dropoff points.

“Were just asking the public, especially the students and parents that will be going to [Marianas High School] to be aware of what the traffic plans are within the school itself, because even entering the school once they get in to drop off their kids, there’s going to be traffic,” he said. “…The dropoff point for students will be in front of the library. …Were asking parents to also use the back exit by the gym, and down toward Texas Road and you can exit down between the courthouse and [Department of Corrections] and DPS, or go further down and exit through the traffic light at Joeten or further down by Shirley’s.”

He said there will be school personnel assigned to help student crossing as the main roundabout that parents have been normally using for dropoff will be exclusively used for buses so that they will enter and exit through the main entrance.

He also shared that all high schools on island will now begin at 9am, middle schools at 8:30am, and elementary school at 7:30am.

“We have adjusted it. We considered the traffic, we considered what’s going happen to parents…so there were a little bit of adjustments to accommodate and to help get their children/child to school, and for the buses also to get to school,” he said.

Yumul said that there would be police officers who will provide traffic control at critical times. During slower times, there will be flagmen. “…We would like the driving public to get used to how the traffic flow is on a daily basis. We do understand that there will be issues, but we will do our best to alleviate that, and we will be making adjustments as we go along. …This project is very dynamic. …Weather permitting, this project will be completed on time, but again, we just ask for everyone’s patience while we’re in this period of construction.”

DPW Highway administrator Lorraine Villagomez agrees that the traffic situation us an inconvenience, “but at the same time we got to fix our roads for safety as well, and we hope things will move smoothly. And DPS is willing to help us and they will be scouting out the area there as well for traffic as well as for vandalism.”

San Nicolas “sad that public schools will be disseminating information on any changes sometime this week and next week “right before the school starts so everyone has an idea of what’s going to happen when they enter the school.”

The public is encouraged to plan ahead, leave ahead, and take alternative routes if possible and, as always, to continue to drive responsibly.

The Beach Road project is Phase 2 of a four-phase project that extends from the American Memorial Park down south, past Pacific Islands Club Resort. The rough estimate of the project completion, if everything goes smoothly, is sometime around June 2024.