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New pedestrian crosswalks eyed for two Saipan villages
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Posted on Dec 07 2004
Government groups met with garment association officials on Friday, Dec. 3, to finalize plans for the installation of pedestrian crosswalks in Gualo Rai and San Antonio villages.
CNMI Department of Public Works Secretary Juan Reyes assembled DPW technicians and planners Philip Sablan, Freddy Cataluna, and Henry Bautista to meet with CUC board of directors chair Frank Guerrero and executive director Lorraine Babauta, and Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association executive director Richard A. Pierce to discuss the installation of pedestrian safety crosswalks and traffic signals and lighting.
As a community project, SGMA has donated all materials and paid for the installation by Master Construction Co. of crosswalks at the Sugar King intersection, two crosswalks in Gualo Rai and one in San Antonio. CUC will secure overhead lighting fixtures after the installation, which started Monday, Dec. 6.
SGMA has requested an intensified Department of Public Safety enforcement presence at the new crossing areas on Middle Road and Beach Road. SGMA has asked for traffic citations for motorists not heeding pedestrian access, and jaywalking citations for pedestrians not properly utilizing the newly installed marked and signed areas.
“Like littering, we believe pedestrian situations have always been one of our biggest community issues. We are making a concerted effort with our government to address these problems. Education only works up to a point, and enforcement is a solution that brings results. If everyone does their part, we have done our best,” Pierce said at the meeting.
Plans call for four separate intersection marking installations this month, in conjunction with the CNMI government’s marking projects on Beach Road, and additional installation of crosswalks within the next year’s schedule for all island factory employee pedestrian-dense areas.
SGMA is comprised of 25 licensed apparel companies on Saipan that account for nearly 15,000 jobs and a third of CNMI government revenue.
