74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesFIXES ON THE WAY FOR BORDEAUX ROAD

FIXES ON THE WAY FOR BORDEAUX ROAD

After Public Works chief engineer Aloy Nielsen took a recent ride along Bordeaux Mountain Road, he readily agreed with area residents that traversing some sections is a harrowing experience.
"I can still see his eyeballs!" St. John's deputy Public Works commissioner, Ira Wade, said Monday.
And with that assessment in hand, the two officials said Monday they will begin work on Thursday to relieve the hazardous conditions along the road.
At a recent public hearing, more than half a dozen Bordeaux residents testified that the recent rains in the aftermath of two fall hurricanes have turned their daily drive along Route 108 into a harrowing experience.
Wade said he invited the department's chief road engineer to tour the area last week. "I gave him the scenic tour throughout the entire road," Wade said.
At the Jan. 12 hearing, residents told government officials that the unpaved road, a federally designate route, had deteriorated to the point where motorists had to drive close to steep embankments to avoid rocky outcrops and ponds of pooled rainwater. Traffic could move in only one direction at a time in some places, they said.
Nielsen confirmed that his trip along the road was an eye-opening experience. His instant assessment: "There's a couple of sections that's real bad. The entire road needs regrading. . . It's that way because it's eroded, and you've got some sections where you're worried your tire's going to slip."
On Thursday, Public Works crews are scheduled to bulldoze the road to remove embedded boulders that have been exposed by extensive soil erosion, Nielsen said. After that, Wade and his workers will attempt improve the roadway by re-grading.
"I think that will be a big help right away," Nielsen said. He added that more short-term improvements for Bordeaux Road may be included in the upcoming federal highway project for South Shore Road, Route 107, that runs along the Coral Bay coast. He said those improvements will focus on controlling erosion through the installation of culverts that will allow rainwater to be channeled off so that it doesn't erode the soil.
However, he said, the work will probably not begin until next summer, when Phase 2 of the Route 107 road project is scheduled to begin. And before any plans can be made, he added, it will be up to Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. to reprogram a portion of the Federal Highway Administration funds earmarked for the Route 107 project.
Nielsen pledged to do as much as possible given the limited resources and the great need for road repairs on the eastern end of St. John. "Bordeaux Mountain Road is a very long road," he noted. "Due to the terrain, it is not a cheap road to do anything with. We're talking some good bucks."

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.