Public Works Department Commissioner Derek Gabriel updated members of the Housing, Transportation, and Telecommunications Committee Friday about the state of ferries, buses, and road and bridge projects.
He said the final design and cost estimates for building a ferry capable of crossing between St. Thomas and St. Croix in 90 minutes or less are to be completed within a month.
A ferry for the route between Cruz Bay, St. John, and Red Hook, St. Thomas, has already been built.
The 300-passenger ferry Spirit of 1733 is to be delivered next month. It is currently undergoing sea trials and U.S. Coast Guard inspections in Louisiana.
According to Gabriel’s testimony, the department has ordered nine medium-duty buses for both districts. They are scheduled to begin being assembled this month and be delivered late in 2026. They will have 28 passenger seats and two designated wheelchair locations and will meet ADA requirements for public transit.
Gabriel said the Clifton Hill Connector project is in its final phase, with dedicated turning lanes on Melvin Evans Highway and paving scheduled for completion this April. Most utility relocation has been completed. The streetlight repairs are approximately 80 percent completed, with approximately 100 poles remaining to be installed.
Sen. Franklin Johnson expressed concern about potholes on Melvin Evans Highway. He displayed photographs showing potholes that appeared a couple of inches deep. He said something needed to be done quickly before someone hit those at 55 mph and had a bad accident. Gabriel said his department was aware of the situation and would be working there soon.
No doubt, residents driving on territory roads have seen what raised questions from Sen. Kurt Vialet.
Vialet said he saw workers with weed whackers cutting long stretches of road, taking days to do what would take a side mower only a couple of hours. Gabriel said he was encouraging contractors to get the right equipment for the job. Vialet said, “Don’t encourage; mandate.”
Regarding using the right equipment, Vialet asked why he always saw DPW workers patting down road repairs with the back of a shovel; didn’t the department have a roller? Gabriel said it did.
Vialet also sees sofas and refrigerators dumped alongside the road, which sickens him. Gabriel said he did have a crew picking up such items, but they are charged a tipping fee when they are taken to the landfill. He added that discussions were ongoing to arrive at a cooperative agreement with Waste Management.
Gabriel also mentioned the St. Croix Airport Road project. He said the three-mile-long roadway project, which includes milling, paving, and striping, started in early December and is expected to be concluded during March.
A St. Croix project just getting started is the paving of the entire Ethel McIntosh Memorial Drive, drainage improvements, retaining wall reconstruction, guardrail replacement, signage, and striping. The project, which is on the road commonly called Mahogany Road, is to be completed in September 2026. Residents are being asked to avoid using the road, which cuts through the heart of the rainforest, whenever possible.
Gabriel mentioned two road projects on St. Thomas: Veterans Drive resurfacing and First Avenue roadway and drainage improvements. The Veterans Drive project includes patching, milling, paving, and striping (to include crosswalks) on segments of Veterans Drive, from Emile Griffith Park eastward to the bus stop at the southwestern end of the Fort Christian Parking Lot. About 50 percent of the work is completed and should be completed by the end of March.
First Avenue roadway and drainage improvements include 213 feet of curb and gutter, two drop inlet catch basins, and two drainage pipes on the north side of the road. Due to challenges with the failing Waste Management infrastructure in the area, this project has been extended to this Fall.
Another St. Thomas project is the renovation of the Fort Christian Parking Lot. It involves trenching, installing waterlines and valve boxes in the southern area of the lot, milling, paving, and striping. The parking lot should be ready for use before the 2025 Carnival festivities. Once complete, this project will also include EV charging pedestals and new automated payment booths. Gabriel said the charging stations would be free to residents for the first year.
On St. John, the department will work on Fish Fry Drive in Cruz Bay. It has contracted a consultant who is currently designing ways to alleviate flooding along this roadway.
When the department went out for bids for the Cruz Bay restrooms last year, it received only one bid. It was deemed too high. The project will go out to bid again in March.
Sen. Novelle Francis asked Gabriel whether he had received any indication that federal funds for some of the projects might be frozen or cut. Gabriel said he was concerned about what was going on at the national level, but so far, he had not felt any threat of funds being held back.
Committee members attending Friday’s hearing were Sens. Avery Lewis, Marvin Blyden, Dwayne DeGraff, Ray Fonseca, Carla Joseph and Kurt Vialet.
