Oct. 22, 2007 — Public Works officials and Island Roads Corp. are wasting no time in beginning the first phase of the much-discussed Long Bay project, which broke ground on St. Thomas Monday after spending about 20 years on the department's drawing board.
During a small ceremony held near the Veteran's Drive Intersection, Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls said the first phase of the project should take about 18 months to complete at an estimated cost of $13 million. In addition to the reconstruction of Centerline Road — which runs past Vitraco Park and Pueblo Supermarket — crews will also stay busy installing box culverts near Mandela Circle and converting Veteran's Drive into a four-lane highway. The box culvert will take waste from eastern Frenchman's Bay to the western side, and eventually tie into the waste-disposal system built for Havensight Mall that leads directly to the ocean.
Part of the existing roadway will be converted into a green-space area, Smalls added, replete with a gazebo and traffic lights at the Lover's Lane Intersection.
The next three phases of the project will extend past Havensight and up Frenchman's Bay Road, and are scheduled for completion in the spring of 2011, Smalls said during Monday's ceremony. Road improvements include the burial of utility lines, the installation of temporary traffic signals and the construction of sidewalks throughout the area.
"In order to keep the community involved throughout the process, we have also set up a traffic advisory group consisting of businesses and merchants located in the immediate area," he added. "They, along with members of the V.I. Police Department, will be meeting regularly to assess, report on and make recommendations about the project, and keep the public aware of what's going on."
Speaking after the ceremony, Smalls explained that the project's contractor is required to provide Public Works with a plan detailing how traffic in the area will flow throughout the construction process. While the department has final say on approving the plan, traffic-advisory groups and community members are encouraged to look over the document and voice their concerns and opinions, he said.
Other speakers throughout the event heralded the groundbreaking as a "milestone" in the territory's development, one that will build on and improve the territory's existing infrastructure.
"This highway connects visitors and residents alike to the most popular destination in the Caribbean: downtown Charlotte Amalie," said St. Thomas-Water Island Administrator Barbara Petersen. "So the first impression we give people must be significant."
Speaking earlier in the event, Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone said the project would complement economic-development projects throughout the territory and help stave off competition from neighboring islands.
"As the territory faces increased competition from other Caribbean destinations, it would behoove us to get our act together and improve our infrastructure," Malone said.
To keep the project running on schedule, the next three phases will soon be put out to bid, Smalls said. Public Works had to chop the plans up into smaller components after failing to receive proposals from companies willing to undertake the entire project.
Island Roads was selected to handle the first phase of the project.
For now, the project will be subsidized by $20 million in federal funds earmarked for the Virgin Islands over the past decade.
"The money comes from various federal transportation bills that provide funds for territorial highway systems in states and other U.S. jurisdictions like American Samoa," explained Daniel Camacho, the Federal Highway Administration's area engineer for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. "From these bills, we have been able to earmark between $25 and $27 million for the project. Some of the money has been used for things like design costs, and right now we have about $20 million left for construction."
Over the past few years, FHA has formed a partnership with the local government, and is just as eager to see the Long Bay project finally get off the ground, Camacho added.
"We have assisted in getting the funds, while our Eastern Federal Lands Division has continued and will continue to help with the design and construction phases of the project," he said. "We have enjoyed partnering with the local government and Public Works, and we really look forward to seeing the project move forward."
Island Roads President Andy Smith promised that the first phase of the project would be completed on time and on budget.
"We intend to start work tomorrow, and we don't plan to stop until the work is finished," he said, amidst the cheers and loud applause emanating from the small group of community members, Public Works representatives and government officials sitting in the audience.
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