The first phase of Rte. 107 road reconstruction is two months behind schedule and will not be completed until Feb. 2, according to Jerry Runyon, the project engineer for the Federal Highway Administration who is overseeing the repairs.
The three-mile long project between Coral Bay and Lameshur Bay involves the installation of box culverts, shoreline road repairs and slope protection.
Originally scheduled to be completed by the first week in December, a washout during recent heavy rains caused unexpected delays, according to Runyon.
"The removal of large boulders in the Sea Breeze area also caused delays," according to St. John Administrator Julien Harley.
Once phase one is complete, work on phase 2 will begin, most likely in early March, Runyon said. Phase 2 involves resurfacing of the three-mile stretch and reinforcement of some culverts.
Harley said when construction began that some sections of the road may be closed during the project. He said at that time that if contractors decide they have to close the route they will try to do it in the mid- to late-evening hours, and the community will be given seven to ten days' notice.
If funding holds out for phase 2, Runyon said, work may begin to complete the much-anticipated Bordeaux Mountain roadwork on Rte. 108. According to Runyon, the project has been programmed, and he expects the monies will be available.
