Aug. 1, 2001 – It may be a couple of months until it happens, but eventually residents and visitors bound for Magens Bay will no longer need to dodge potholes on their way to and from St. Thomas's most popular beach.
"That road is in the process of being resurfaced and totally redone," Public Works Commissioner-designate Wayne Callwood said Tuesday. "We're going to get it done. We're really hoping to get Magens started in another month or two. It should have already been done before the road work that we're doing now."
The sole road into and out of the beach is heavily traveled by taxi vans and safari buses carrying cruise ship visitors, in addition to local traffic. It has long been in need of repair.
Callwood said his department must "go through some technical evaluation with the Federal Highway Program" before work on the road can get under way. "There's a couple things we need to correct," he said, "and once that is done, then that road is going to be done. It will be a brand-new surface with drainage just like you're seeing on other roads."
He said Public Works is "going to be doing a lot of work over on the North Side, on St. Peter Mountain Road, Mandahl Road and also Magens Bay Road. More than likely, Magens Bay Road is the next project. We already have the permits." He added, "We're trying to do our best to correct a lot of the road problems."
Approved by the Legislature in May, Callwood said he expects to be sworn in as the new commissioner of Public Works in the near future.
