April 2, 2009 — The decades old Plan 8 for the revitalization of Charlotte Amalie is back, but with some changes that would re-capture some of the city's historical glory while making it modern, green and more accessible to motorists and pedestrians, Public Works officials said Thursday.
The new design, which was unveiled Thursday night, had the overall support of the 50 or so community members that showed up to public meeting held at Charlotte Amalie High School. The design phase is going to take about 18 months, construction three-to-five years, and cost a total of about $40 million in federal funds to cover improvements that would run from the Wilmoth Blyden Marine Terminal to the head of Long Bay Road.
Plans for the waterfront date back to the 1970's, but have been reworked over the years. After receiving its first federal approval in 1984, the project got tied up over a few sticking points, including a proposal to fill about 20 acres of the harbor to accommodate the roadwork. That 20 acres has been cut down to five and the design includes the construction of a bridge around the Legislature set back far enough to preserve the natural rocky shoreline and re-connect the old barracks building to Fort Christian by eliminating the road that now runs between them, according to Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls.
The design is currently about 30 percent complete, and since the plans — which still have to go through various permitting processes, reviews and public hearings — have construction wrapping in time for the territory's centennial Transfer Day celebration in 2017, officials said Thursday there is still plenty of time to work out the kinks and take comments from business owners, vendors and the community. Meanwhile, the project ties into a larger network of improvements planned for the east-west corridor, which runs as far west as the airport and as far east as Red Hook, Smalls said.
One resident was concerned that the project might not be a priority, particularly when comparing Charlotte Amalie to areas such as Smith Bay, Raphune Hill or Red Hook, which also need work. Some asked what the department would do if the cost of construction increased by the time the project was ready to get off the ground, while others brought up the age-old issue of the need for more parking spaces downtown.
"This is not the only priority project we’re looking at for St. Thomas — it's just one of many," Smalls said. "We're talking about the entire east-west corridor, and over the years we've been addressing that component by component. There's an overall plan and design we're looking at here, and the department is also developing a multi-modal study that is going to be looking at all modes of transportation throughout the island, including the structure of the roads and parking. So it's all in there."
But for right now, there's clearly a need to reduce traffic downtown — particularly the flow that runs eastbound — and address certain safety issues. Traffic downtown is heavy in the morning, rush hour and in the evening, particularly when cruise ships are in port, Smalls said. Traffic studies have revealed that most of the congestion runs to the east, so the plans were designed to minimize buildups in places like Tolbod Gade, where the two lanes that run down the waterfront turn into one in front of Vendor's Plaza, he explained. Along with adding turn lanes, the design includes a pedestrian promenade, bike path, landscaping, traffic signals and the widening of the roads from nine to 11 feet.
Smalls expect the project to make it through the various approval and permitting processes, and he also expects to receive the federal funding needed to make the project a reality. Local contractors will be employed, jobs will be created and the aura of the historical wharf will be recreated through the aesthetics — fountains, landscaping and other touches, said Jaredian Design principal John Woods.
Meanwhile, a study has been conducted of the marine habitats along the harbor, according to local environmentalist Amy Dempsey.
"There are a lot of plastics on the bottom," she said. "We could look at transplanting the seagrass and other some other things, but the much larger benefit would be preventing the trash and plastics and cans that are thrown in and washed down. And, if we're able to limit the nutrients coming down, we can create an environment where more coral and seagrass can grow, and we’ll be able to have clearer water than the turbid water we have most of the time right now."
The crowd looked closely at the renderings shown during Thursday's meeting.
"This traffic — this is our biggest Achilles heel, especially getting from the airport to the east end," said St. Thomas resident Alvin Raymond. "I'm willing to sacrifice a little bit to make sure this project takes place, and when it's done, I think all of us here should take a walk on that promenade you're talking about, because it looks so nice."
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
