by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Tired of contractors tearing up Guam's roads and leaving them in a state of disrepair, the Department of Public Works is cracking down on private contractors that are doing just that. DPW Director Joanne Brown says one particular area of concern is Route 16 near the entrance to Saint Paul's that has caused significant inconvenience to motorists. She says contractors are required to have an encroachment permit and to ensure that the road is returned to its previous condition.

She said, "All of those things we're very concerned about, and if we don't address corrective action by the contractors in the immediate future, DPW does have the authority under law to exert penalties; the initial penalty can be up to $5,000, a second penalty is up to $10,000, and if you're a private contractor and you're caught for the third time violating on encroachment into our rights of way you can lose your business license, so the penalties are rather significant."

Brown has increased the number of staff in the encroachment division to aggressively monitor the roads and enforce appropriate penalties and corrective action to ensure roads are repaired for motorists.