Torres gives a tour of ongoing $11.98M Route 36 Project

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, right, and Public Works Secretary James Ada, second from right, pose with construction engineers before Hidden Beach in Talafofo during a tour with the media yesterday morning. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres gave the media a tour yesterday morning of the ongoing $11.98-million construction project that will improve the Windward Road near the Kingfisher Golf Links area in Talafofo going to Chalan Kalabera in the northeastern part of Saipan. 

Torres first showed the construction of a large concrete box culvert that will greatly improve water drainage to the Unai Fanhang crossing that leads to Hidden Beach. The governor then checked the second large concrete box culvert at the Unai Nanasu crossing that leads to another Hidden Beach. 

Torres, who has never been at either hidden beaches before, found them to be “very beautiful,” prompting him to request the installation of parking spaces in the area so people can stop by and see the two beautiful beaches. “Now we are trying to add parking stalls here so our community and tourists can enjoy the beach behind us,” he said.

Torres was accompanied during the tour by Public Works Secretary James Ada and engineers of contractor RNV Construction and construction manager GHD Inc.

The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. The Windward/Chalan Kalabera Road Improvement is Phase 2 of the overall project. DPW said they are doing Phase 2 first so that they can connect the culverts so that people can pass through to Bird Island. Phase 2 started on May 24, 2021 and its original completion date was May 23, 2022. The completion date now is either this August or September. 

In an interview with the media, Torres said Route 36 will be Saipan’s first interisland connecting road. 

“It is good for everyone, for tourism, for the community, and extra location for bikers, walkers, [and] joggers from Kingfisher all the way to Bird Island connection,” Torres said.

He said Phase 2 will connect the two crossings of Unai Fanhang and Unai Nanasu. 

The governor said they are hoping to start work on Phase 1—the road that leads to Bird Island Lookout—in the next couple of months. They just have to wait for the bidding. 

Torres said Route 36 is mostly federally funded; there is a local match but Torres is unsure how much is that.

He said Route 36 Project has been ongoing for over 20 years. 

GHD Inc., a local/international engineering firm, is the construction managers for the Route 36 Project. 

GHD Inc.’s Peter Babauta, who is a civil inspector for the Route 36 Project, said once the two box culverts are constructed, they are capable of mitigating and directing all the water from the different ravines uphill so there will be no issues with the road from mudslides and such.

“At the moment we are currently in the process of installing all the rebars for the culverts. [For] concrete pouring, we have scheduled it this week. I say we are currently roughly at 30% [completion]. Once we pour the concrete, we jump to 50%,” Babauta said. 

RNV Construction is the contractor of Phase 2.

RNV construction manager Moises Tagle Jr. said the culverts are the critical part of the project and that they trying to complete the box culverts this June. 

Tagle said Phase 2 construction started in May 2021, but was delayed for three months due to environmental issues. He said DPW, however, granted them an extension because of the delay.

Once Route 36 is fully completed, Talafofo will become the second full-fledged link between the northern and southern parts of Saipan. 

Phase 2’s scope of work includes the construction and improvement of spans of road near the golf links going to Bird Island and the construction of two large concrete box culverts. 

Talks to improve Route 36 have been ongoing since the 90’s when former governor Juan N. Babauta was still the CNMI’s resident representative in Washington D.C. 

The project involves the construction of about 3.7 miles of an all-weather road on Route 36. The project will begin at the end of the existing paved road just past the entrance to the Kingfisher Golf Course, pass through Kalabera Cave, and end near the Bird Island lookout.

The road improvement will also include wider travel lanes with bike lanes on each side, drainage, road signage, and concrete box culverts. 

With Route 36, cyclists, joggers, tourists, and the community will soon enjoy a safer alternative commute to the northern part of the island, according to DPW.