Christiansted’s Strand Street will be closed to traffic Thursday night between King Cross and Queen Cross Streets as work continues on the Christiansted Phase II Underground project, the Water and Power Authority announced.
The closure will last from 8 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday. King Cross Street, between Watergut and Strand Streets, will remain closed to vehicular traffic until Friday. Foot traffic will continue to be allowed for the convenience of workers, shoppers and residents in the town area.
WAPA assured the community that all trenches will be covered in time for Saturday’s Christmas Boat Parade and related activities on the waterfront.
During the work, flaggers will be present for informational purposes. Contractors will continue to work with heavy machinery, lay conduits and cover trenches.
WAPA’s news release said the utility and contractor, J. Benton Construction LLC, will continue to make every effort possible to minimize inconvenience to foot and vehicular traffic in Christiansted and to provide easy access to all offices and businesses during their operating hours.
Phase I of the project, completed in 2010, created the backbone for future phases to remove the aerial system in Christiansted. Phase II includes underground line installation on Strand, King and Company streets, and Phase III will include Queen, Hill, East and Fisher streets in Christiansted town.
The phase II portion of the project, funded by federal grants and 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 also 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.