Guam - Island mayors have decided to take concerns over their authority to block routed roads straight to the Federal Highway Administration. Legislation that sought to take that authority away failed to pass and public works has warned that federal funding could be jeopardized as a result.

Sinajana vice mayor Robert Hofmann says closure of roadways for village events has been common practice for decades. "What can we ask permission to do and what specific actions aren't necessarily condoned? So at least we have an inclining. None of us wanted to lose any money, but at the same time we want to have respect for the culture, respect for the traditions, the parades we have in our districts, and those little events that really help us be who we are as a Chamorro people," he said.

The FHA has been adamant that the Department of Public Works must have authority over both routed and non-routed roads.