Issues beneath pavement drives DeCastro Street sidewalk rebuild- RDA
According to the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency (RDA), temporary repairs have not solved the underlying issue. Because excavation for proper reconstruction must occur within the same limited space occupied by existing root systems, leaving those roots in place would allow the damage and the safety risks to return.
Safer, wider, ADA-compliant sidewalks planned
To address these conditions, the DeCastro Street Sidewalk Improvement Project will deliver wider sidewalks designed in keeping with ADA accessibility standards, safer ramps and transitions, improved drainage, clearer pedestrian connections, wider parking-lot entrances, and more suitable landscaping.
“The goal is a safer, more accessible, better connected and more attractive DeCastro Street, supporting residents, visitors and the businesses at the heart of Road Town,” the RDA said in a recent Facebook statement.
Contract signed, works set for September
On July 30, 2026, the RDA, in partnership with the Government of the Virgin Islands, signed a $798,108.74 contract with TMB Enterprises for the sidewalk improvements. Works are scheduled to begin on Monday, September 7, 2026, and run through February 2027.
The scope includes demolition of the existing sidewalks, construction of new concrete walkways, drainage upgrades, landscaping, civil works and traffic-management measures to maintain access during construction. The project is being delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development, with funding from the Government of the Virgin Islands as part of the Road Town Development Partnership.
Debate over trees and project scope
The project has also drawn public attention to the treatment of existing trees. People’s Leadership Movement leader Mark Vanterpool has called for the project to be paused until the government explains the proposed works and the planned removal of mature trees in Road Town.
The RDA and project documents, however, frame the works as necessary to address long-standing safety and accessibility concerns along a key commercial corridor.
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26 Responses to “Issues beneath pavement drives DeCastro Street sidewalk rebuild- RDA”
Roadtown is picture perfect if you compare the disaster sidewalks or pavements any where else in the islands.
Ifnyou want to get ridnof hazards start there. And put doors orblock closed electric cabinets that have wires spilling out all over yhe place.
Big pricen Minor and unecessary, unwanted work, for big price spells CORRUPTION.
Every year the trees looking so beautiful when Bobby's do the Christmas lights..which is very beautiful to all of us.
1. What is the completion date for this project, and what happens to it once tourist season is in full swing?
2. How many road projects are currently open across the Territory, and when will each be completed? Several have been under way for years with no end in sight.
3. What is being done in the meantime about the abandoned vehicles and the conditions residents are living with day to day?
The RDA works for the people of these islands. A statement that offers no apology and no acknowledgement of public opinion is not accountability. Answers to the above would be