Public Works Orders Liberty to Halt Undergrounding Work, Citing 'Inadequate Striping' and 'Egregious Actions'

The Department of Public Works has issued a stop-work order, effective immediately, on the current undergrounding project being performed on Liberty Communications USVI behalf by Bermudez, Longo, Diaz-Masso, LLC, the department announced Tuesday. D.P.W. said Public Works Commissioner Derek Gabriel wrote a letter addressed to Liberty Communications Puerto Rico CEO Naji Khoury, stating that over the past two weekends, D.P.W. "has been inundated by several reports of unsatisfactory and unsafe work in both the St. Croix and St. Thomas/St. John districts." Most notably are the inadequate striping, performed by Lineas de Puerto Rico, Inc., in Christiansted on St. Croix, and unsafe driving conditions, mostly in the westbound lane of Route 33 between the Four Corners intersection and the Estate Hope/Pearl intersection, D.P.W. said. “My priority will always be the safety of our public transportation infrastructure,” stated Mr. Gabriel. “These most recent, egregious actions demonstrate to me ...