March 16, 2004 – The V.I. National Park wants to hear from residents about its plans to improve the North Shore Road. Park officials will hold a meeting on the subject this Thursday at the Legislature building from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Nicholas Finch of the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division in Sterling, Va., said he expects the project to start early in the summer of 2005. "Right after the peak season," he said.
Proposed improvements include:
– repairing cracks in the paving along the North Shore Road;
– expanding the Lind Point overlook and building a stone wall along the edge;
– taking out the middle access area at the Hawksnest Beach parking area to improve safety and adding two extra parking spaces;
– putting in dips at Jumbie Bay and Trunk Bay to direct the flow of water;
– adding a dozen parking spaces at Cinnamon Bay;
– increasing the curve radius at Penn Point to improve safety; and
– installing 50 boulders at Maho Bay to prevent vehicles from parking on the beach and vegetation next to the beach.
The park needs to repair the road because it is deteriorating and has inadequate drainage in many areas, only making the problems worse.
The park also hopes to add "traffic-calming" devices such as rumble strips, which are bumps in the road, and signs and pavement markings to discourage high-speed traffic along the road.
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