Public Works Lists Projects It Says Will Begin In First Quarter Of 2018

The Department of Public Works (D.P.W.) on Wednesday issued a list of road-related work it said will begin in the first quarter of this year. Some of the projects are hurricane-related, including traffic light repairs, while others are road repair work long pending.

The announcement of projects comes during a gubernatorial election year when many will be paying attention to Governor Kenneth Mapp’s performance, including whether he will be able to not only make promises but actually bring them to fruition. Lawmakers have long complained about the length of time it has taken the administration to get road projects off the ground, especially since funding has been available for multiple years.

Below are the list of projects in each district.

St. Croix

·         Container Port Road (Route 75) – Crews will reconstruct all the washed out areas of the roadway.

·         Scenic Road Phase II (Route 78) – This phase includes the continuation of improvements to include paving and drainage.

·         Clifton Hill Road – This project will include the addition of sidewalks, roadway paving and widening, drainage, as well as the addition of a turning lane from Melvin Evans Highway onto Clifton Hill Road.

Traffic signal repairs:

• Sunny Isles (Routes 66 & 70)
• Kingshill Central High School (Route 70)
• La Reine (Routes 70 & 75)
• Castle Burke (Routes 64, 65 & 70)
• University Of Virgin Islands (Route 70)
• West Airport Road (Routes 64 & 66)
• Williams Delight On Melvin Evans Highway (Routes 66 & 665)
• Hannah’s Rest (Routes 70 & 661)
• Paradise on Queen Mary Highway (Routes 69 & 70)
• Sunshine Mall K-Mart (West Route 70)

St. Thomas-St. John

·         Main Street & Side Streets Enhancement Project – This project will include drainage improvements, utility relocation, cobblestone installation, landscaping and lighting.

·         Crown Mountain Road (Route 33) – This project will take place in the vicinity of Shibui Condominiums and will involve the reconstruction of two retaining walls. Once completed, residents will once again be able to access their homes from Crown Mountain Road.

·         Wintberg Road (Route 394) – The permanent repairs will involve drainage and paving improvements, allowing residents to traverse the heavily trafficked road.

·         Tabor and Harmony Road (Route 42) – This project will entail the construction of retaining walls at two locations, to prevent further erosion of the roadway.

·         Crown Bay Road Phase II – Paving and widening of the roadway at the Nisky Center intersection

·         Scott Free Road Contract I – This phase will include the demolition of the existing bridge and replacement of the roadway.

·         Fish Bay Road (Route 1041) – This project will include the addition of a gabion retaining wall and concrete pavement replacement.

·         Centerline Road (Route 10) – This project will entail road reconstruction and repaving.

Traffic signal repairs:

• Airport – Moravian Hwy (Routes 30 & 302)
• Addelita Crancryn (Routes 30 & 308)
• Norre Gade – Hospital Gade (Routes 35 & 38)
• Lover’s Lane (Routes 30 & 314)
• Mandela Circle (Routes 30 & 313)
• French Town – Veterans Drive (Routes 30)
• Fort Mylner – Weymouth Rhymer Hwy (Routes 38 & 32)
• Old Tutu – Weymouth Rhymer Hwy (Routes 38 & 42)

The motoring public will be advised of specific start dates once Notices to Proceed have been issued, D.P.W. said.

“We would like to wish the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands a happy and prosperous new year,” said Commissioner Nominee Nelson Petty, Jr. “We hope that by addressing these outstanding projects that we’ll be able to bring some relief to the motoring public as we continue to work towards rebuilding our infrastructure.”