Tourism dollars invested to keep locals and visitors safe

(Tumon, Guam) The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) announces the second phase of the San Vitores Streetlight Improvement Project is now underway in the island's tourism capital. GVB has contracted Polyphase Inc. to fully repair and refurbish streetlight infrastructure and fix long-standing issues in Tumon.

“The safety of our local residents and visitors remains our top priority and we strongly feel having adequate lighting is necessary for the thousands of employees, recreational runners, visitors and event-goers that are in Tumon every day. That’s why GVB has taken the lead on this project,” said GVB President and CEO Nathan Denight. “We thank Governor Calvo, Lt. Governor Tenorio, the Guam Legislature and our partners for their support of this important project. This is a great investment into our aging infrastructure and a definitive way of how tourism works for the community.”

Tourism dollars to pay for rehabilitation

Now that funding is available, the project will continue with major repairs to the remaining streetlights, including the replacement of panel boxes, conduits, LED light fixtures and missing poles. The total cost of the project is $1.7 million dollars - $1.1 million for supplies and $600K for repair work and installation. The project is anticipated to be completed by September 2017 and is fully funded by tourism dollars.

When the entire streetlight rehabilitation project is completed, all 325 streetlights in Tumon will be fully operational.

“We’re excited to begin this project, making Tumon brighter than ever,” said GVB Vice President Antonio Muña Jr. “The LED light fixtures being installed are more energy efficient and will last much longer. Poles that were missing along San Vitores Road will also be replaced, allowing us to light up areas that have been left in the dark. When the project is finished, we will implement a maintenance plan to ensure the upkeep of streetlights continues for many more years to come.”

What rainy season revealed

The Bureau was prompted to find out why a large number of streetlights went out during the start of the rainy season. As it turned out, results from a comprehensive assessment of the Tumon streetlight system revealed extensive repairs were needed for broken and rusty fixtures, old wiring and damaged electrical boxes.

The assessment led to the first phase of streetlight repairs in April 2015, with 129 lighting fixtures replaced with LED lights and 47 base plates.

Traffic delays expected

Residents and businesses should anticipate traffic to be impacted in certain parts of Tumon during the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This includes Route 14 - Hilton intersection to Westin Resort, Route 14A (JFK Hill to Route 1) and Santos Hill to Route 1.

Media Contact: JOSH TYQUIENGCO - Public Information Officer