DPS officials share inauguration day traffic control plan

To prevent being caught by congested traffic on Monday morning, the Department of Public Safety advises motorists to avoid Beach Road near the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe on Monday from 9am to 11am due to the inauguration of governor-elect Arnold I. Palacios and lieutenant governor-elect David M. Apatang.

It was also learned at a press conference in Susupe yesterday that four public parking areas have been designated for those who will attend the ceremony. These are at the Civic Center, Guma Hustisia, Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, and the Oleai Sports Complex parking lot.

For those who will be parking at the OSC parking lot, there will be a turnaround shuttle bus that will be provided by the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority.

“They will be shuttling people from the [OSC] parking lot to the main event site,” said Oscar M. Babauta, vice chairman for the Inauguration Subcommittee.

He said the purpose of the press conference is to allow DPS Highway Patrol commander Capt. Juan Mendiola and DPS Highway Traffic’s Lt. Dan Smith to share with the public how they intend to handle traffic on the day of the inauguration.

“We want to let our general public know regarding traffic arrangement for this day so that we alleviate serious injury [and] serious property damage to our CNMI traveling public,” he said.

Safety is not only their first and foremost concern, but also the noise that the traveling public would be creating from passing through the inauguration site, Babauta said.

“We need to allow dignitaries and both Palacios and Apatang to freely expressly their prepared statements or speeches that morning to our Commonwealth citizens and visiting individuals from both abroad and in the Commonwealth,” he said.

Babauta said it’s the reason that they need to create a traffic control plan to alleviate the noise and ensure the safety of pedestrians who will be crossing Beach Road to the inauguration site.

“We wanted to keep it…safe and sound,” Babauta said.

Smith said that they plan to close the southbound inner lane of Beach Road at 9:45am or 15 minutes before the ceremony starts.

The northbound traffic will merge at the traffic light intersection by the Saipan World Resort into the southbound inner lane, then proceed to the outer northbound lane across the Guma Hustisia’s parking lot area.

On the northern side by the Marianas High School traffic light, the traffic of the northbound will continue to switch back to the northbound.

He said traffic cones will be set up on Beach Road right in front of Multi-Purpose Center for two crosswalks.

He said school on that day at MHS starts at 8am so the traffic will be open on both north and southbound lanes for the regular flow on that time until 9:45am.

Traffic is expected go back to normal at about 11:30am or noon.

Mendiola asked for the public’s cooperation and patience on Monday from 9am to 11am.

“If you are in a rush or you need to go somewhere right away, try to take an alternative route instead of Beach Road from 9am to 11am because Beach Road is going to be a bumper to bumper; it’s going to be congested,” Mendiola said.