After several months of vacancy, hundreds of motorists have returned to the Fort Christian Parking Lot in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas.
In anticipation of a new paid parking system starting Tuesday, Public Works officials are advising anyone parked over the weekend to remove their vehicles by Monday.
Those who fail to comply will be subject to fees for parking overnight, effective as of midnight Tuesday. Public Works Commissioner Derek Gabriel says the new paid parking system is part of a modernization project that features numbered parking spots, accommodations for disabled drivers that meet federal compliance, and charging stations for electric vehicles.
“This is something that we have been working on. I want to say since in 2024, right? We realized that the parking lot had been over 30 years since the parking lot had been paved … and there were a number of potholes, drainage issues, utility utilities that the underground utilities that needed to be repaired. And so we finally were able to make that happen this year,” Gabriel said.
The commissioner said the paid parking system is modeled after similar systems on the U.S. mainland, with inspiration taken from the parking lots managed by the V.I. Port Authority. With encouragement from Government House, the project included clearly marked spaces for designated disabled parking, along with signage directing users to newly-installed ramp access from the lot to the sidewalk in the northwest corner.
“For us to be finally ADA compliant, because we weren’t before these renovations that we recently made in the parking lot,” the commissioner said.
Repaving the lot was one of the first items on the task list, but allowing WAPA to upgrade its underground infrastructure and installing water systems for Carnival booths were also given priority. Underground infrastructure has been installed for the charging stations, which are expected to be in service by the end of the year.
Early work on the drainage system helped avert major flooding in the parking lot during the recent Carnival season. The year before, heavy rains produced enough flooding for promoters to cancel stage shows during the fete in 2024, he said.
Numbered parking spots along with section markers were installed to help motorists remember where they parked. They also play a role in the new paid parking system, Gabriel said. For those who frequent the lot and pay by the month or more, parking spots can be tracked through the payment system. “We’re going to have it’s going to allow for payment input. But not only that, but we also are encouraging the public to get our monthly daily and annual passes. And of course, those passes also correspond to specific spaces,” the commissioner said.
Those who pay annually will receive stickers to place on their vehicles, which will allow them to bypass the toll booths.
Booth attendants will remain in place for those who wish to pay cash between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The new system also allows Public Works to charge and collect fees before and after business hours.
Gabriel expressed confidence that motorists will adapt to the new system within a few days of regular use. He added that equipment and plans are already in the works to perform a similar upgrade at the Strand Street Parking Lot on St. Croix.
