Raphune Hill Intersection Replacement Clears CZM

The St. Thomas Coastal Zone Management Committee approved the second phase of improvements to Raphune Hill Road Tuesday night, granting a federal consistency determination to replace and move the intersection of Route 38 and 381.

Kim Campo-Allen, an environmental protection specialist with the Federal Highway Administration, gave an abridged version of the presentation she shared during a public hearing on the project in November. The project was split into three phases shortly after its inception in 2008. The first of those phases — an improvement to the intersection of Route 38 and Route 313 — was completed in 2017. The third phase isn’t slated for federal consistency review until 2027 or later.

Campo-Allen said the second phase involves “obliterating” the existing intersection and shifting the connection eastward by approximately 400 feet. Once built, the new intersection will include a traffic signal, sidewalks, a bus stop and crosswalk. The phase of work also includes realigning approximately 750 feet of Route 381 to accommodate the new intersection.

Many of the commissioners’ questions focused on the project’s impact on existing property owners. The V.I. Public Works Department’s federal acquisition specialist, LeAnn Fredericks, said the department has a temporary construction easement on one of the properties and is attempting to contact the owners of another.