The V.I. Port Authority received the green light Thursday to begin major renovations at the Gallows Bay Marine Facility in Christiansted, when the Coastal Zone Management Commission approved VIPA’s application to begin major renovations there.
The authority has since put the project out to bid seeking a contractor to develop the existing terminal into a dual-purpose arrival facility, according to VIPA Executive Director Carlton "Ital" Dowe. Other land-side improvements include resurfacing the pavement at the port and the shoreline revetment, Dowe said. The work will be out to bid for 30 days and it should take another 30 days to review the bids after they are received.
"We anticipate having the project before the board for approval by February 2017," Dowe said.
The CZM also held a public hearing Thursday to hear VIPA’s proposal to dredge the Krause Lagoon Channel for safer navigation. Dowe said that the hearing went well and that a CZM decision hearing will be scheduled shortly to determine if VIPA can proceed with the project.
"These two projects will help to stimulate the USVI economy overall and St. Croix’s economy in particular,” Dowe said. “Both projects combined are in excess of $15 million and will bring approximately 156 construction jobs to the St. Croix district.” 
He added that the Gallows Bay renovations will turn the entire port into a passenger facility, as VIPA plans to move all cargo operations from Gallows Bay to the Gordon A. Finch Molasses Pier in Krause Lagoon.
The authority’s projects for bid are posted on its Web site at www.viport.com.
