Sen. San Agustin has introduced a bill to address island roadways

Nestor Licanto | December 11th 2023

With just how bad Guam's roadways are, how are they contributing to the alarming number of fatal accidents?

An informational briefing is scheduled for this week on many key issues facing the Department of Public Works (DPW).

Senator Roy Quinata’s committee is seeking updates on road repairs, traffic fatalities, bus stop replacement and post-typhoon recovery.

But one lawmaker is a step ahead.

Appropriations Chairman Joe San Agustin has introduced a bill to use $9-million in fiscal year 2022 excess revenues to fix one nagging concern: the worsening conditions of road markings. 

“I’m hoping we can get that through because the people of Guam, like ourselves and yourself, we’re having trouble driving on the road, we can't see the markers, we need to figure out a way to get it done because DPW they say there’s only one contractor,” San Agustin said. 

He added, “But if we can get that $9-million to DPW my concern now is, if we give you the money DPW and you only got one contractor, how can you speed it up? Is there another way to do this, or if we give you $9-million can you hire temporary employees to start marking the roads? It's too dangerous! Even in the middle of the day it's raining you can’t even see your lane.”

A public hearing has not yet been set for his bill.

Senator Quinata’s informational briefing with DPW is scheduled for Wednesday.

Source: https://www.kuam.com/story/50192764/sen-san-agustin-has-introduced-a-bill-to-address-island-roadways