CUC: Road excavations due to lift station upgrades

Excavations in major roads and thoroughfares on Saipan are mostly due to multiple wastewater lift stations that are undergoing upgrades, according to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.

CUC deputy executive director William Gilmore said the utilities company is aware of the traffic its excavations have caused, but he asked for the public’s patience as the lift station upgrades are necessary to improve the island’s decades-old infrastructure.

“We are sensitive to the problems that had been caused by a lot these projects. We are sorry that the public has been inconvenienced,” he said.

The project on the corner of Chalan Monsignor Deleon Guerrero and Middle Road near the Payless Shoe Source are upgrades to the W4, W5, and W6 lift stations. That construction work has lately come under criticism as it has been ongoing for sometime now and inconveniences motorists.

“On this project, we are trying to eliminate three for one lift station at that location. That means we are upsizing the pipes, deepening their location, adding a manhole for the corner, and [installing] a back-up generator,” Gilmore said. “This reduces the number of lift stations we have to maintain.”

He pointed out that the older lift stations are not very efficient. “The old lift stations took a lot to maintain, were to close to the road, dangerous to work on, and that’s why it makes more sense to consolidate.”

“The contractor is getting to a point where they are going to be off the road by next week so we are happy about that. They are trying to get as much as they can finish by the end of the month,” he said.

Meanwhile, the project at the corner of Garapan Elementary School is funded by casino operator Best Sunshine International, Ltd.

“They agreed as part of their project since it is such a big facility— a casino and hotel project—that they would put in a new—we call S4—lift station. It was originally on the street. Now it’s on the side of the road.”

“The project is in a pause mode. What is currently built satisfies the casino. But once they start working on the hotel, then they will finish the entire project,” he added.

According to Gilmore, the project near Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan was caused by a hole that collapsed seven months ago. That patch was fixed but someone drove over it so it collapsed again.

“Garapan has a problem, it has all those asbestos cement pipes that the Japanese put in some 40 years ago and they are at the end of their useful life so they’re failing in a lot areas,” he said.

“So they are collapsing, and we needed to repair that whole length of road. There’s going to be big improvement. We are putting in PVC pipes that are bigger. The good news is, it is almost finished and the target is next month,” Gilmore added.

He said the projects on major areas and road are indicators that progress is taking place.

“It has not been ideal but it has worked out to a point where we are just glad that things are coming to an end on a lot of these projects. Now everyone’s going to have access to their clients, to do business, and flow of traffic will be much improved and we will all be very happy when that happens,” Gilmore said.