Work on the Christiansted Phase II Underground project stopped Friday at 1:30 p.m. to allow shopping and other activities in the town over the holiday weekend, the V.I. Water and Power Authority reported.
Work will resume Monday, with contractors working between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. laying conduits and covering trenches until Thursday.
In observance of the holidays, work will be suspended from Friday, Dec. 21 through 25, and will resume Dec. 26. Signage will be placed to indicate the road closure, and flaggers will be present for informational purposes.
Construction is now complete on Strand Street between Queen Cross and King Cross Streets, WAPA reported.
Beginning Monday, Strand Lane east of Queen Cross St. will be closed sections at a time to vehicular traffic, but foot traffic will be allowed for the convenience of workers, shoppers and residents in the town area. WAPA said 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.
The weekend halt of work on the undergrounding project will also facilitate the Governor’s Annual Christmas Fair in Christiansted from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. WAPA reminded customers patronizing Christiansted businesses that they can present a validated receipt from a business for free parking in the government parking lot until Jan. 18.
The authority will continue to update the public of the schedule as work progresses from street to street. Residents are urged to register at www.vialert.gov.
The Christiansted Underground project is part of WAPA’s larger underground mitigation plan for the U.S. Virgin Islands. The authority said the project will provide a significant increase in service reliability in the town area and reduce the destruction and lengthy restoration process of Christiansted’s electrical distribution system in the event of a hurricane or other major events.
