DPW plans to widen and pave Kingshill Road, once the island’s roads recover from damage wrought by Tropical Storm Otto.
Government officials have plans to widen and pave portions of both Bordeaux Road and Kingshill Road — after the clean up efforts from Tropical Storm Otto are completed.
During a press conference last week, Department of Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls updated residents about on-going road repairs and future planned projects.
DPW crews across the territory continue to clear roadways from mud and rock slides which were impacted by TS Otto. The massive hillside slide in the Upper Carolina area of Centerline Road from Carey Mercurio’s house continues to spill down into the road, but crews did remove the septic system from the area last week.
One lane has been kept open since the slide from Mercurio’s house above buried Centerline Road on Monday, October 11, and crews are keeping the soil in place to help stabilize the hillside, according to Smalls.
There are several other areas in the Carolina section of Centerline Road which have also been undermined. DPW officials erected cones in the most problematic areas, and asked residents to proceed with caution where the roadbed has been compromised.
DPW workers have also been concentrating on Bordeaux Mt. Road, where residents were stranded behind a massive mud slide which covered the road. Workers continue to try to make that area more accessible, according to DPW officials.
Once DPW gets a handle on the after-effects of TS Otto — and recoups funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — several roadways on St. John are slated for upgrades, explained DPW St. John Deputy Director Ira Wade.
First of all the southeastern section of Bordeaux Road will be prepped for paving, according to Wade.
“We’re going to prepare that area from the south eastern side to the corner of Spice Hill for paving,” he said. “Then when we’ll get in and pave it. That will make just about all of Bordeaux Road complete.”
“There is just a 300 to 400-foot section that has not yet been completed now,” said Wade. “The entire project will cost $1.2 million.”
DPW has an $800,000 project slated for Kingshill Road, Wade added.
“We’re going to prepare Kingshill Road for paving,” said Wade. “We have $800,000 for that now, but due to the rising costs of concrete, we’re going to need additional money to pave that road.”
Once funds for the entire project are secured, Kingshill Road will be paved in its entirety, Wade explained.
“We intend to concrete pave that road all the way to the existing asphalt,” he said. “That area is about eight-tenths of a mile.”
Crews are also expected to repair the concrete culvert which washed out from TS Otto.
DPW officials are cooperating with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel on the Kingshill Road project, Wade added.
“We’re also working with NOAA on that project as they’re going to be doing some silt studies,” he said.
Wade hoped residents would be patient as DPW works to alert motorists to dangerous areas on Centerline Road before making the planned road improvements.
“Most people think we’re not doing anything because you can’t get to them fast enough,” he said.
