Territory’s $250 Million Road Reconstruction Project Uncertain As Congress Neglects Mapp Proposal

ST. CROIX — A measure sponsored by Senator Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly and signed into law by Governor Kenneth Mapp that seeks to see the territory’s roads being completely overhauled with a loan of $250 million, backed by annual highway funding the territory receives from the federal government, just received a major setback.

Under the existing federal highway program, Congress allocates $40 million a year to the territories, of which the Virgin Islands receives approximately $16 million. But Mr. Mapp traveled to Washington earlier this year lobbying for a five-year program of funding equal to one-half of the allocation made to the state with the smallest allocation under the current program — not less than $75 million each year for five years.

Under the Mapp proposal, territorial governments would use the entire amount of requested new funding for construction of new roadways and related infrastructure improvements that meet current federal standards, which Mapp said would represent a significant improvement over existing roadway conditions. Mr. Mapp contended that the Virgin Islands would return to a lesser funding level under the Territorial Highway Program to maintain the new road system once the territory’s highway infrastructure had been rebuilt.

But Congress, with a Republican majority, increased the funding by a mere $2 million, prompting immediate reaction from Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett.

“The $2 million increase in funding to the entire territories completely discounts the request of Governor Mapp and does nothing to move the needle in providing much needed and long overdue funding for infrastructure development and jobs in the territories,” Plaskett saif.

The freshman congresswoman indicated that she would continue to push the Republican majority and the Committee to determine options for a more acceptable outcome for the Virgin Islands on the issue of transportation and infrastructure funding.

The Congress bill, in its current form, negates the territory’s chances of borrowing $250 million. Instead, that amount would be lowered to the original $100 million, which was considered under the current federal highway funding level of $16 million, with $60 million being allocated for work here, and $50 million for St. Thomas.

Senator Clifford Graham, chairman of the powerful Finance Committee, told The Consortium in a brief telephone interview tonight that Rivera-O’Reilly’s measure remains intact because the language says “up to $250 million,” suggesting that a lower level of funding would also be acceptable. And though the $100 million would not be enough to complete all the roads needing reconstruction in the territory, Graham said it would see phase two of the Melvin Evans Highway project being covered, and also the plan to create a highway that runs behind the Earl B. Ottley Legislative Building.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is expected to consider the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill during a mark up hearing scheduled for October 22, 2015.