DPW announcing new Route 2 contractor

by Nick Delgado

Guam - The Department of Public Works is hoping to announce the new contractor for the Route 2 Agat-Umatac Road Construction Project. Construction has been at a halt for months after DPW fired contractor's HubTech International for multiple local and federal violations.

DPW Director Joanne Brown says they are finalizing a new contract with Alpha Insurers, who holds the bond for the project. She also admits that the past couple of months have been challenging. She said, "You're pretty much dealing with a project that's not completed, its certainly the requirements and concerns that we had, its addressing the requirements of the bonding company, the funding issues that are involved, what action they firmly wanted to take to respond to the issue because they essentially have the responsibility to address that but I have to say the tone has been very cooperative."

The total cost of the Route 2 culvert and slide repair project is about $1.8 million. Brown says she wouldn't be surprised if litigation is taken against HubTech, as the company she says was paid some $400,000 in federal highway funding for the work done so far.