The runway extension project at St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport is set to resume at the end of June, more than three months after it was halted because it was affecting the health of nearby residents.
The V.I. Port Authority voluntarily stopped the project, which will lengthen the runway from 7,600 feet to 10,000 feet, on March 23 after residents of Yellow Cedar complained about the choking clouds of dust stirred up by construction equipment.
The Port Authority has said it always intended to pay to relocate the residents permanently once the runway was completed, because the sound level produced by increased air traffic would exceed federal standards. The adverse effects from the construction, however, had not been foreseen.
Ninety percent of the relocation costs, and a large portion of the runway expansion as well, are to be be financed by federal discretionary funds, and Port Authority officials feared too long a delay would affect the funding.
"I am pleased to inform the public that the Port Authority has reached an amicable agreement with the residents of Yellow Cedar and that the extension of the runway . . . will resume on June 21 or shortly thereafter," said Port Authority executive director Gordon A. Finch on Tuesday.
Residents of households that are close to where heavy earthwork will be done are to be relocated on a 90-day temporary basis, Finch said.
The Port Authority plans to purchase 31 properties altogether and to move their residents to permanent housing. Twenty-five of the 31 properties contain dwellings housing 65 families.
The buyout plan has two phases. The first — two appraisals for each property — has been completed and the agency is now in negotiation with the property owners and residents to agree on a final price.
Meanwhile, Finch said, in addition to the temporary relocations the Port Authority will begin using more water and topsoil to control the dust, and will work with the Department of Planning and Natural Resources to monitor the construction site. The $18-million project is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2001. The first phase is expected to be finished in November.
An expanded runway that could accommodate the larger, long-range aircraft operated by major airlines and charter operations has been on the drawing board for years. Once completed, it will allow nonstop turnaround service to the V.I. from Europe, North America and South America.
