Resumption of work on Phase II of the Christiansted underground utility project will cause traffic delays and problems on Strand Street between King Cross and Prince Streets, the V.I. Water and Power Authority announced Sunday.
Contractors will be operating heavy machinery, laying conduits and covering trenches, according to the WAPA news release. Contractors also anticipate moving on to King Cross Street in the vicinity of the Holger Dansk Hotel and the Strand Street intersection, while other contractors will remain on Strand . to install new waterlines while the trenches are open.
Work will be suspended Thursday and Friday in observance of Thanksgiving and to facilitate foot and vehicular traffic during what is usually a heavy shopping day on "Black Friday" and the Jump Up event.
While the majority of work on this project is scheduled for night time hours, the work from Monday to Wednesday will take place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. for safety reasons.
The Christiansted Underground project is a critical component of WAPA’s larger underground mitigation plan for the Virgin Islands. Upon completion of the underground project, there will be significant increase in service reliability in the town area, according to WAPA. Putting the utilities underground will also reduce the destruction and lengthy restoration process of Christiansted’s electrical distribution system in the event of a hurricane or other major events.
WAPA will continue to update the public of the schedule as work progresses from street to street. Residents can register at www.vialert.gov, which is one of the outlets used to update the community when traffic detours become necessary. Information is also available on WAPA’s website, www.viwapa.vi. Further inquiries about the project can be sent by email to [email protected], or by calling 1-340-773-2250 ext. 4085 or 2065.
As the weeks progress, work will continue from the intersection of King and Prince Streets, down King Street and Market Street; then from the intersection of King and Prince Streets, down to Church Street. Work will then proceed at the intersection of Company and Prince Streets, and progress on to Company Street down to Market Street. The final portion of the phase II project will be from the intersection of Company and Prince Streets, down to Church Street. Each leg of the project should be finished within 2 month time periods, while the entire Phase II Underground Project is expected to be completed by March of 2013.
The phase II portion of the project, which is funded by several federal grants and requires a 75/25-percent cost share between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and WAPA, has a total price tag of approximately $2 million. WAPA’s 25 percent of the cost share is funded by customer payments into the Self-Insurance and Hazard Mitigation Fund. This was established in 1994 to help minimize the potential impact of natural disasters on the electrical system and to initiate immediate restoration of the system should there be a delay or absence of federal funds during disaster restoration. The customer surcharge was eliminated in February 2006 when the fund reached its approved limit of $8 million. WAPA currently has undergrounding projects in Market Square, St. Thomas and from Estate Richmond to the proposed Midland Substation in Estate Spanish Town on St. Croix. On St. Thomas and St. Croix, underground lines already serve customers from the power plants to the hospitals and the airports