Two Big STX Port Projects to be Finished This Year, Port Authority Head Tells Senators

Two major multimillion-dollar St. Croix port projects should be finished this year and one on St. Thomas is scheduled for completion next year, V.I. Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe told senators Tuesday.

Dowe briefed the Committee of Government Operations and Consumer Protection on ongoing projects and how the decline in the tourism industry is linked to the Port Authority’s recent decrease in revenues.

“VIPA currently has over $60 million in capital projects ongoing in St. Croix and $50 million in capital projects on St. Thomas,” said Dowe. “We expect to complete two major projects this year and one next year.”

The two projects near completion are the Gordon A. Finch Molasses Pier, at a cost of $12.2 million, and the Wilfred Bomba Allick Port and Shipment Center, which will cost $15.9 million. The Cyril E. King Parking and Transportation Center is a $26.8 million project and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023. Plans call for it to provide 561 parking spaces.

“One project high on our list of priorities is the construction of a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection terminal at the UVF Marine Terminal in Red Hook,” said Dowe.

Dowe added that the project will allow international travelers, such as those from the British Virgin Islands, to enter St. Thomas without having to go through St. John. However, that project funding is on hold as it requires dredging. It will cost $9.5 million.

Dowe noted that with the decline in the cruise industry in 2020, cargo imports decreased and caused a $9.2 million loss in marine revenues.

“Thirty percent of the cargo that comes into St. Thomas goes on cruise ships,” said Dowe.