Public Auditor Finds Estimated $15 Million for Highway Projects

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An audit of the Territorial Highway Fund for Fiscal Year 2000 released today by Public Auditor Doris Flores Brooks reveals that as much as $15 million in highway funds may be lying idle.

The audit, prepared by Deloitte & Touche, LLP, discloses that $15,697,025 generated from the sale of bonds in 1992 is categorized as "budget available" for highway projects.

Specific sums that have yet to be drawn by the Department of Public Works for improvements include:
Project Amount  
Design, construction, land acquisition Harmon access road $2.8 million
Reconstruction Route 1, Polaris Point to Route 2A $2.7 million
Land acquisition Agat-Umatac project, and
unacquired land on Routes 1, 6, Macheche Road, Bello Road, and Alegeta Street		 $2.1 million

Road construction into new landfill		 $1.5 million
Road improvements for Umatac Subdivision $1.5 million
Reconstruction of Harmon Loop $1.3 million
Planning, design and construction of islandwide bike/jogging paths $1.0 million
Expansion of Route 26 $1.0 million
Public Auditor Brooks said that if the Department of Public Works finds the projects are not now feasible, it should ask the Legislature to re appropriate the funds for other highway purposes. "Money that has been warehoused for ten years should be put to work," Brooks said. "While it's possible that some of the fund was used in FY 2001, it's pretty certain that most of it is untouched," she said.

Brooks said the appropriation for the jogging and bike trail was what made her notice how long that money had been idle. "That's an item that I moved to have included in the project list when I was a senator," she said.

"This money is in a trust fund and can be used only for highway improvements. But the Legislature can reprogram these idle funds to get contractors working. Think of the jobs it would create, the taxes that would be generated and the improvements that would be realized, " Brooks said.