The Department of Public Works has commissioned designs to decongest the traffic flow in the busy Garapan district as two large commercial developments begin to rise in the area.<\/p>\n
Tony Camacho, director of technical services division under the Departmetnt of Public Works, said they are looking to \u201copening\u201d the Coral Tree Avenue area, and have a directional system heading north in front of Fiesta Resort & Spa.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, [Best Sunshine International, Ltd.] will be willing to pay for that upgrade,\u201d he said in an interview, referring to improvements to Coral Tree Avenue.<\/p>\n
On expanding roads, he said, there may be some limitations with right of way availability. \u201cSo we are looking to increase traffic flow by doing one-way streets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camacho said they are waiting for BSI’s traffic impact analysis for DPW to review.<\/p>\n
Permitting agencies are looking to see if BSI can submit this analysis \u201csooner rather than later,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll do that review from there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
One-way streets in Garapan are planned, he said, but probably not on the main thoroughfare, or Route 30. And the main road would remain a \u201ctwo-way\u201d street, Camacho said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have a design in place right now being commissioned. Hopefully that design can lead us to make better improvements to opening up traffic.<\/p>\n
DPW plans directional signs, improvements to pavement, and also public outreach on how that new one-way systems would work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be great if the investor put up that money but we are looking at maybe $200,000 to put directional signs and improve the shoulder ways,\u201d Camacho said. \u201cAny kind of improvement to increase traffic flow would be great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camacho said they are aiming to get traffic out in front of the T-Galleria out faster.<\/p>\n
He said they might have to \u201ctweak\u201d the light system to move traffic faster, meaning, speed up the pace of the traffic lights.<\/p>\n
In Garapan, Imperial Pacific\u2019s Grand Marianas Casino and Hotel resort, an integrated resort with hotel rooms, casino gaming, night clubs, restaurants, conference rooms and retails stores, is slated to have \u201cno\u201d traffic impacts, according to a developer chart provided by BECQ this month.<\/p>\n
Also in Garapan, H.S. Lee Construction\u2019s commercial building, an integrated commercial building and hotel rooms with gift shops and restaurants, is marked \u201ctraffic density will increase,\u201d per the BECQ chart.<\/p>\n
\u201c[DPW] certainly have plans and things like that but they need to get moving on their designs,\u201d said Sen. Arnold Palacios (R-Saipan). \u201cWe are already behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have to realize that [these efforts] come with resources and we have to allocate the necessary resources for them to do that. They don\u2019t have enough engineers to realize that and given the professional people that they need, their engineers are to me overworked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palacios also has concerns about agencies vetting building code designs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make sure the designs are proper and the plans are put in place. At some point in time, the regulatory agencies will also have to say enough is enough in the Garapan area, and we need the development out in the other areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cGarapan is very attractive for beachfront properties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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