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Bill provides funds for flooding mitigation

by Krystal Paco

Guam - With the enactment of Bill 97 into law it couldn't have come at a better time for residents who are flooded with concern every time there's a downpour.  

With rainy season upon us, Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares is grateful the legislation introduced by Senators Dennis Rodriguez Jr. and Tina Muna Barnes, will address two problem areas in her village. "What we did as mayors we submitted a list of top 5 priorities to DPW as well as senator Rodriguez who was the author," she said.

Just along Chalan Lamasu in Dededo, Savares points at the gravel road. This intersection, she says, gets plenty of traffic thanks to the adjacent cockpit, the 2,000 neighboring homes in the Machanaonao Subdivision, and the additional 1,000 homes from Ironwood Village.  She notes, although Ironwood Village paid for the design and build of the road, they couldn't front the cost for paving and flood mitigation. With the help of Bill 97, these problems will be solved.

"Not only does the flood damage cause a lot of damage with cars going in and out it also causes erosion to the roadway. And when you have bad roadways you know, cars try to zigzag along the road. Bill 97 would help with our roadways and the traffic conditions that we have in our village," she said.

"When you have flooding and you can't see potholes because of the road breaking up, you run over that and it breaks the axels. I have a lot of residents, saying, "You know my shocks are out. How many times have I had to replace my tires?" And we hear this everyday from residents who drive through these streets. The wear and tear of their vehicles due to the condition of the roads have really impacted their pockets," she said.

Bill 97 which was recently enacted into law reprograms 3.9 million dollars from unappropriated Guam/territorial highway funds to the Department of Public Works for flood mitigation projects and road repair/improvement projects throughout the island. Aside from Dededo, Barrigada, Ipan and Harmon will also see immediate action.