Flooding in the Nadir area as a result of heavy rains prompted Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg to complain Monday about the lack of progress on completing the "bridge to nowhere" and the related federal flood abatement project for the low-lying section of St. Thomas.
Donastorg faulted the Public Works Department for failure to address the problem, citing a letter dated last Feb. 25 that he addressed to Commissioner-designate Harold Thompson, insisting that the bridge and gut project, initiated two years earlier, "be completed prior to the 1999 hurricane season."
According to the senator, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, his requests for action on the matter "have gone unanswered." He said he will schedule a public hearing to obtain detailed information about plans by Public Works to resolve flooding issues in Nadir and will "work to legislate a timetable, if necessary," to complete the bridge and gut project.
After visiting several Nadir homes Monday morning, Donastorg stated in a release that "There was some significant flooding." He said residents "were lucky this time, as a private contractor was prepared to come in with a bulldozer first thing this morning." He added, "The fact that the Nadir bridge remains unused is a total travesty. DPW has demonstrated a disregard for the safety and property of East End residents."