When Department of Public Works Commissioner Derek Gabriel met with St. John residents Wednesday evening to discuss a master transportation plan for the territory, he knew that he’d need to give them a concrete reason to care. And he did.
That afternoon, scores of visitors arrived at the ferry terminal in Red Hook, joining dozens of students, workers, and shoppers, all trying to get to St. John. Unlike in previous years, the newest ferry operating between Red Hook and Cruz Bay had room for everyone. No one had to wait for the next boat.
That ferry – the Spirit of 1733, which holds 300 passengers – was the result of long, painstaking work on the part of the DPW to gather data to prove the need for a ferry of that size and then to find federal funding to design and build the vessel. “It was forums like this that got us to the Spirit of 1733,” Gabriel said.
DPW officials and consultants held meetings on all three islands this week to outline a draft of the Comprehensive Master Transportation Plan 2050 for the territory. The plan includes 76 proposals for projects throughout the territory.
At Wednesday’s meeting held at the St. John Legislative Annex, audience members had the opportunity to briefly discuss the 22 projects for the island. Many of the proposals were developed following community meetings held in May 2025.
The proposals include expansion of bus routes, construction of new roads, park and ride facilities, and studies to improve traffic flow.
Audience members added further suggestions, including a marine facility in Coral Bay that could serve the community in numerous ways, including transport of supplies during an emergency. Others suggested constructing sidewalks on Centerline Road from Pastory to Cruz Bay and in Estate Catherineberg near where the new public school will be built.
St. John residents aired long-standing frustrations with the condition of the roads, and Gabriel was quick to explain that the territory’s funding is limited. Two-percent of the money collected from property taxes is earmarked for the territory’s roads. On St. John, that amounts to around $300,000 annually, nowhere near what would be needed to put in an alternative route to Coral Bay. Gabriel asked audience members to rank their requests for guardrails, paving, striping, and signage.
Gabriel said St. John is slated to get new buses when the first shipment arrives in the territory in March. He said DPW was seeking applicants for drivers and mechanics who live on the island. The cost of buses has risen precipitously, from $400,000 each to more than $700,000, he said.
Plans are also underway to design and construct a new ferry that could carry passengers and cars between St. Thomas and St. Croix. Gabriel, who serves on the board of the V.I. Port Authority, said officials are considering whether Red Hook might be the best site on St. Thomas for a terminal for this vessel.
Gabriel urged the public to view the master plan on DPW’s website and to send any feedback to the department contactdpw@dpw.vi.gov.
