The superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park says Hurricane Lenny left portions of St. John's park roads sagging.
According to Supt. Russell Berry Jr., the nine inches of rain that Lenny dropped on the island Nov. 17-19 soaked the underlying soil and left a portion of King's Hill Road slanting at a downward angle.
"It's not unsafe," he said. "It's just that if you don't do something soon, you may lose five to ten feet of road."
Engineers working with the National Park Service are reportedly planning to shore up the sagging roadbed with rock-filled wire baskets. Berry said an application has been filed with the U.S. Department of Interior for disaster funds to pay for the needed repairs.
Meanwhile, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd has called on park officials to add the Johnny Horn Trail to its list of hurricane-stressed roadways. Johnny Horn is a scenic trail that leads hikers from Coral Bay north to Leinster Bay and the Annaberg Plantation ruins.
Liburd said when he and a team of emergency management personnel visited the American Red Cross emergency shelter at Emmaus Moravian Church, they got a first-hand look at how Lenny's torrential rains rendered a portion of the road once used by vehicles useless.
"Johnny Horn is washed out — you can't drive up there, even with four-wheel drive," the at-large senator said.
Berry did not mention the condition of the Coral Bay trail but said other V.I. National Park trails have been cleared of downed tree limbs and other storm debris. He also said the park beaches were tested for water quality and were found to be in good condition.
