Road works in the San Juan Area to resume soon: SPTC asks for continued patience with traffic detours

For the past few weeks, motorists driving north of the town core and in the San Juan area have been experiencing increased detours. The San Pedro Traffic Department puts these detours in place to reroute traffic away from ongoing road construction in the area and control traffic flow. However, many residents claim that these detours are causing unnecessary congestion and have questioned the time frame of their implementation.
The San Pedro Sun reached out to Council Ernesto Bardalez, who currently overseas traffic, to clarify the status of the current detours. “The detours that we have been having for the past few weeks are related to the road works in the San Juan Area, where the work is still not done, and that road remains officially closed to large vehicles. Currently, only motorcycles, golf carts, and bikes are allowed on a portion of the finished street. However, it is not 100% functional at the moment. Therefore, the four detours currently in place are to help with the better traffic flow,” said Bardalez. He also reiterated that the detours are not permanent and only use weekday daylight hours. Once the San Juan road paving is completed, the detours will be removed, and the traffic flow in the area will return to normal.”
Bardalez was also asked about the expected timeframe for completing the road work in the area. “The road work in San Juan has been on pause due to the lack of enough cement and steel for the amount of work that needs to be done. The Cement and steel shipment should be coming this week, and we expect the work to resume next week. The San Juan area should be finished by the coming month. We will then move on with road works in San Mateo next!”
The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) initiated a major road rehabilitation project in 2023 and has since paved major streets in Marina Drive, DFC, Escalante, San Marcos, San Pablo, San Pedrito, and sections of Bakka Town. SPTC has indicated that 7.5 miles of road will have been paved at the end of the works, starting from Marina Drive, south of town, through the main streets of each subdivision, and ending in the San Mateo area north of San Pedro Town.
“I want to thank the residents of San Pedro for their patience while paving the roads in the different residential areas. I am aware that there are many other (non-paved streets) that need either grading or filling with material; we are also working on a list of those streets,” said Bardalez. He encourages residents to WhatsApp him the location and pictures of their street if it requires any work to be done. Bardaelz can be contacted via mobile number 665-8510, stating “we will go check it personally, assess it and determine the TLC needed.”
SPTC updates the operation schedule for large dump trucks and large delivery trucks
Another important notice from the San Pedro Traffic Department is an updated schedule for crossing large dump trucks and large delivery trucks within town limits. According to the notice posted on the SPTC’s social media page, crossing these vehicles is restricted through the town core during peak school hours: Monday to Friday – 7:30AM to 9AM, 11:20AM to 1PM, and 3PM to 4PM. Additionally, trucks are not allowed to operate past 11:20AM on Saturdays and are restricted from operating on Sundays and holidays. However, small delivery trucks will be allowed to operate normally. “Trucks provide an essential service to the island’s development, and we are working to find a balance between traffic flow and the island’s development,” said the SPTC statement.