![\"Left,](\"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/frontpix.jpg\")
<\/a>Public Works Secretary James Ada said they dispatched a grader and compactor to fix the road on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Guerrero, who was at the site on both days, estimated that about 238 cubic yards of crushed coral were used for backfilling.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoughly, it wasn\u2019t enough to repair the entire length of the road,\u201d Guerrero said. \u201cBut it was ample enough to fill in all the cracks, the areas that were impassable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ada separately estimated they needed 20 to 25 loads of a 10-cubit-yard dump truck to cover the entire length of the road, which was about a mile or mile-and-a-half long.<\/p>\n
The road in Kannat Tabla, technically called Kannat Tabla Drive, is an unpaved road that has always been subject to severe erosion during heavy downpours.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not a road when I saw it Saturday,\u201d Ada told Saipan Tribune in an interview at his office yesterday. \u201cIt\u2019s hard, I feel sorry for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Public Works was still on site yesterday and they hope to fix the road by today.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are leveling, coralizing it, and at the same time grading it and using the compactor to make it firm. We are going to fix those laterals. We are not going to get out of there \u2019til we are done with all those laterals [the roads that lead into residences],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Maria Dizon, who has been living in Kannat Tabla for about a year and a half now, says the road has always been a problem for all those who live there, as it is filled with potholes that cause great discomfort to drivers and passengers alike.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it rains, the roads became eroded due to flowing water. [Public] school buses would juggle up and down because of the rough road,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The road sustained heavy damage when Typhoon Soudelor hit Saipan in August. Although the potholes were covered up and smoothed over, this proved to be a temporary solution when Typhoon Champi\u2014at the time a tropical storm\u2014hit last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is was the worst experience so far because the roads looked like it crumbled away,\u201d Dizon told Saipan Tribune. \u201cThe water pipes were exposed and broken. Cars also became stuck because the road did not seem like a road, but more like ditches spaced apart. Many residents were stranded and had to walk to the main road if they needed to go somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBottom-line, the road needs to be fixed,\u201d Guerrero said. \u201c[It] needs to be paved but it has to come along with a drainage system. We need a drainage system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Federal funds could be tapped to fix the road. Guerrero said Public Works could request the U.S. Department of Transportation to reclassify the road to avail of federal funding for pavement, drainage, and maintenance.<\/p>\n
As the road connects to Route 31\u2014a federally funded road\u2014he said this factor might support reclassification.<\/p>\n
Guerrero urges that the road be included in the Public Works\u2019 Road Master Plan in the next couple of years. He said it is \u201cprime time to start the process,\u201d referring to the engineering and contracting aspect of the work.<\/p>\n
Dizon is just thankful to all the people who came to their aid and tried to fix the damaged road as soon as possible. \u201cInstead of filling up the gaps every time it rains, I hope we can come up with a permanent solution to ensure our safety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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