Trees with aggressive roots are to be removed from de Castro Street in Road Town as part of the Sidewalk Improvement Project slated to start there around September. Photo: Facebook

Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism, Honourable Luce D. Hodge-Smith (R4), left, during an interview with Information Officer Angela U. Burns. Photo: Facebook

Tree roots along the sidewalk on de Castro Street in Road Town, Tortola. Photo: Facebook

According to Hon Hodge-Smith, during an interview with Information Officer Angela U. Burns, the signing of the contract for the Sidewalk Improvement Project, to be overseen by the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency (RDA), will be done on Thursday, July 30, 2026.

“It’s a major project to be completed. It [the sidewalk] is unsafe. It’s unsafe for pedestrians,” Hon Hodge-Smith said, adding that she has received a lot of complaints about persons getting “tripped up” because of the unevenness of the sidewalk.

She also said the aim is to make the sidewalks wheelchair accessible and up to ADA standards.

Both of the sidewalks on de Castro Street, according to Hon Hodge-Smith, will be widened and made even.

Shade trees to be replaced

One of the requirements of the project will be to remove some of the trees on de Castro Street that have “aggressive roots” and have been damaging the sidewalks and roads.

“We are taking out some of these shade trees, but we are replacing them with shade trees,” Hon Hodge-Smith stated.

According to the Jr Minister and Fourth District Representative, $1.2m from the $100m loan taken from CIBC has been allocated to the Road Town Partnership Programme, under which the Sidewalk Improvement Project falls.

Hodge-Smith said she doesn’t expect the project to start immediately after the signing of the contract; however, she hopes it can begin “shortly”.

Manager of Project Planning and Management at the RDA, Mr Jeremy W. Hodge, who was also part of the ‘on site’ interview, said the project is likely to start in September.