Route 1 exiting Dededo to see repairs

by Krystal Paco

Guam - It's good news for northern residents and anyone who's ever had to drive to the village of Yigo.

It's literally a bumpy road to the island's most northern village.

The reason? Peeling asphalt on route one on the outer northbound lane while exiting Dededo just before the welcome to Yigo signage.

Yigo mayor Rudy Matanane said, "I get people stopping me when they see me and asking me when are they going to do something about it because they're tired of waiting."

If you're brave enough to drive through what looks like missing parts of the road, you'll be bouncing in your seat. For others looking to avert damage to their car, you're likely to veer to the shoulder lane.

"It's also people from Andersen complaining about the safety issues. I know with the safety issues come the bills and the repairs of their cars their tires but I think the most important thing is the safety of the travelers from Wusstig Road to the fire station," he said.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel as Department of Public Works director Carl Dominguez says half a million dollars in Federal Highway funds may be used to resurface what's been nicknamed "Jaf Jaf Road" in addition to similar roads in the Asan/Piti area. Dominguez speculates old age combined with day-to-day wear and tear has resulted in the peeling asphalt.

"You can see that its really evident up north of Ysengong Road in Dededo so I'm going to tackle that and get that resurfaced sometime in late-May - it'll only take a couple of weeks to do that. But I also want to tackle down south from Asan through Piti were the asphalt is peeling off," he said.

The resurfacing project is scheduled for late may, and shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to complete.

But until then, Matanane asks all to continue to drive with caution, saying, "I'd like to say to the public to drive safely and when they rear to the shoulder of that road to be careful when they try to come back because they can cause a serious accident."

Meanwhile, Dominguez says his deputy director Jessie Palican is working to address potholes. Mayors have been asked to serve as eyes and ears for the agency by reporting potholes in their villages and take pictures. In coming weeks Palican tells KUAM News they'll be prioritizing pothole repairs and forming a steering committee to address the issues.