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DPW: Completion of Saipan traffic project pushed back
RFP soon for Cross Island-Phase III project
Radiocom personnel install state-of-the-art traffic signals at the Beach Road-Microl intersection in San Jose on Thursday, which is a portion of the Department of Public Works’ $1.425-million traffic signal system upgrade project. (Haidee V. Eugenio)
Department of Public Works Secretary Martin Sablan said yesterday that the $1.425-million traffic signal system upgrade project for Saipan has been pushed back by two to three months because of the delay in the arrival of materials needed such as the control panel module or casing. Instead of March 2014, the completion date has been extended to May or June, he said.
“But after all the materials arrived, work was continuing. Yes, there was a time extension for completion date. From March, the new target date is last part of May or early June. Hopefully we’d have a ribbon cutting by early June. In the mean time, we ask for the public’s patience,” Sablan told Saipan Tribune.
Despite the delay, the government did not incur additional cost in terms of additional funding needed for the project, Sablan said.
“The project cost based on the contract is still $1.425 million,” Sablan added.
Radiocom is the contractor for the DPW traffic signal system upgrade project. It received the notice to proceed on May 31, 2013, and the original project completion date was March 17, 2014. In the past few days, much of the work has been on Beach Road.
The federally-funded project includes removing and replacing traffic signal controllers, including cabinets and pedestrian push buttons. It upgrades traffic signal heads to light emitting diode, or LED, at 19 intersections on Saipan.
It may be recalled that the traffic signal system upgrade project—particularly the capping of road medians with concrete—sparked a bit of a spat between DPW and the Saipan Mayor’s Office. The governor had said at the groundbreaking that traffic safety is a main concern, but added that DPW has taken into consideration the mayor’s island beautification concerns.
Sonya Dancoe, DPW highway administrator and chief engineer, said DPW is moving on an “aggressive schedule” to make sure all federal highway funds are spent in the CNMI, rather than see any of those funds return to Washington, D.C. and redistributed.
Besides the recent official start of DPW’s $147,280 islandwide road marking and signage upgrade project with RNV Construction as contractor, DPW has also been busy with its almost $4-million road improvement project from Kagman to Capital Hill or the Phase II-B of the Cross Island Road/Isa Drive Improvement Project after a two-year snag over procurement protests and appeals. The contractor for this project is Hawaiian Rock Products, which is expected to complete it by October 2014.
Sablan said yesterday that DPW will soon issue a request for proposals for Phase III of the Cross Island/Isa Drive improvement project. This covers the stretch from Capital Hill to the Sadog Tasi-Mobil intersection.
“It could be issued before the end of the month,” he added.
Phases I-A and I-B of the project, from Kagman to San Vicente/Dandan area, have already been completed and have now become one of the better roads on Saipan.
