by Krystal Paco

Guam - It's a joint project between the Department of Public Works and the Port Authority of Guam that will increase the longevity of the island's roadways.

Meet TESS - the new Truck Enforcement Screening Station located just along the Port Authority entrance in Piti complete with a weigh-in-motion scale, a static scale facility, and a scale house.

At today's ribbon cutting ceremony, Governor Eddie Calvo referred to TESS as a protector of Guam's roadways as any truck leaving the Port, must first be weighed.

"These scales are important not only for commerce, not only for revenues coming into our government but if you've noticed over the years the condition of our roads and how they sometimes have the topography of an ocean wave a lot of it had to do with vehicles that are traversing our highways that were overweight and with these scales they have a multitude of purposes for commerce but also for the protection of other hard assets on Guam - both our routed roads as well as our village roads," he said.

TESS wasn't the only addition celebrated today as the scope of work included the strengthening of the existing asphalt concrete pavement along Route 11 from Marine Corps Drive to Industrial Avenue as well as the completion of the shore protection project to prevent coastal damage and flooding.

Port general manager Joanne Brown said, "This is a critical road. Very critical because it's pretty much our lifesource for Guam 90% of everything we have comes through this port."

By early 2015, Brown says the people of Guam will see a very different port facility prepared to take Guam into the 21st Century.

"For all of you in the next year and a half you're going to see the most significant improvements to our port that's happened over the next fifty years so this road certainly is an integral part of that process and we certainly hope to invite our neighbors back at the navy to come and see those upgrades and improvements because 50 years ago, the Navy built the Port of Guam," she said.

Both projects were awarded to Core Tech International and jointly funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Defense totaling over $22 million.