Utilities working to fix major infrastructure failures

ST. THOMAS — The dismal state of the territory’s crumbling infrastructure was on full display in downtown Charlotte Amalie on Thursday, with broken sewer and water lines flooding Veterans Drive, and power failures leaving traffic lights dark.

Following weeks of heavy rain, the V.I. Waste Management Authority announced Wednesday that a sewer line had collapsed between Banco Popular in Altona and the Cancryn Pump Station. “This situation is causing sewer system issues in the downtown area, which may result in potential manhole overflows,” according to the statement.

On Thursday, the problem got much worse. The V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Authority issued an alert Thursday afternoon, warning travelers “to avoid Sub Base near Pueblo due to extreme flooding caused by a water line rupture that is linked to a collapsed sewer line.” The road was fully engulfed in several inches of water in some places, and V.I. Police shut down the eastbound lane near Pueblo and re-routed traffic around the area via Judy Gomez Road, while the Waste Management Authority ran a temporary bypass line.