New ferry boats come soon is what the VI Government wants us to believe - as soon as St. John's ferry operators complete the paperwork. (I believe the Virgin Islands government is still waiting for reports on how much money the ferries collected and spent last year.)
Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls told a Senate Finance Committee hearing his department has snagged $1.5 million in Federal Highway Administration (FHW) funds to allow Varlack Ventures and Transportation Services of St. John to purchase used ferry boats, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported. Smalls said his agency will also go after any ferry money that may be available from the feds this year, too.
The Commissioner also told the Senators there is no money budgeted to maintain the Territory's territorial roads. Senators were, ahem, unhappy. Smalls did say he expects something like $21 million from the FHW to repair roads which have a number and are therefore in the Federal Highway System. For St. John, this should be good news for the north shore (Rt. 20) and south shore (Rt. 104) roads. The road up Gifft Hill is also Rt. 104, so there's some hope there that much-needed maintenance may be possible.
Heads up for the ferry companies. You can go shopping here.