In terms of natural and cultural resources, Lameshur Bay on the south side of St. John is one of the richest areas within the Virgin Islands National Park, yet it is one of the least accessible parts of the island.
Since hurricanes Irma and Maria tore through the territory in 2017, vehicle access to Lameshur has been nearly impossible because of “ponding” — the occurrence of giant puddles in the unpaved road resulting from runoff from the steep terrain, especially after heavy rainfall.
But if territorial and federal agencies all sign off on a plan that was presented at a St. John Coastal Zone Management meeting on Dec. 9, long overdue repairs to the Lameshur Road may be completed by February 2027.
St. John CZM Committee members heard testimony from officials from the Federal Highway Administration and the Virgin Islands National Park about plans to improve nearly three-quarters of a mile of the Lameshur Road.
According to the proposal presented at the meeting, “repair and rehabilitation work will include the following: rehabilitation of roadway subgrade and base as needed; roadway grading; aggregate surface course; installation of cellular confinement system adjacent to low water crossings; drainage improvements, including installation of new low water crossings where needed; ditch reconditioning; construction of a new parking area with rockery retaining wall; and other miscellaneous work.”
The new parking area “will be constructed adjacent to a recently constructed toilet facility and will alleviate roadside parking, which has resulted in damage to vegetation in the area,” the report continued.
When Andrew Penn, chair of the St. John CZM Board, asked whether there were any plans to pave any portions of the road, he was told there were not. The repaired road will be covered with aggregate material.
Plans call for scraping and then rebuilding up low-lying parts by installing CSS (Cellular Confinement System) — a sort of mesh of “geotextile material” to hold the soil in place — so sediment does not wash into the nearby mangroves.
Penn categorized the repairs as “kind of a messy fix … for such a popular spot,” but officials said funding from the American Rescue Plan will not cover the cost of paving.
“We’re proceeding with the plan (to match) the available funding,” said Scott Simmons, deputy superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park.
Permits for the project are slated to expire in March 2026, but officials said they plan to reapply and have them in place by May. According to the current timeline, a contractor will be selected by August 2026, construction will begin in September, and the project will be completed by February 2027.
The road will be closed during the six-month construction phase, and the only public access to the Lameshur area will be by boat.
“The proposed project will remain within the existing roadway footprint and will not impact natural or cultural resources within the coastal zone or Virgin Islands National Park,” according to an environmental report. “Appropriate erosion and sediment control best management practices would be implemented during project construction to avoid or minimize construction stormwater runoff from entering the bay.”
The area includes excellent snorkeling (including the site of the old Tektite underwater habitat), mangroves, ruins of a colonial plantation and sugar factory, the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (managed by the University of the Virgin Islands), and a prehistoric site dating back to around 500 BCE.
The public can submit comments about the project to leia.laplace@dnpn.vi.gov by Dec. 16. The St. John CZM Committee will make a decision within 30 days.
