Congestion on the road to Pointe Blanche during the past two days, each with four cruise ships in port, was exceptionally bad and backed up all the way onto the Pondfill. Needless to say; this caused great inconvenience to both residents and visitors alike.
Part of the problem is infrastructure work taking place in the vicinity. Some have suggested delaying the job that includes underground cabling, but the project was long pending and needs to be completed. Besides, there are usually target dates and deadlines, often with non-compliance penalties as well.
Skipping busy days or working evenings probably isn’t a very realistic option either, as it involves set schedules, shifts, etc., while sufficient light is obviously needed after dark. Hopefully the parts that obstruct traffic most can be finished quickly so that the nuisance is at least reduced.
Mind you, the walkway used by many passengers to get to town, which would flood in certain spots when it rains, is also involved. A makeshift wooden pedestrian bridge and detour had to be created in one section as temporary fix, but the situation remains far from ideal.
However, the latter also holds true when no work is being done there. Particularly the constant going and coming of massive container trucks to and from the harbour’s cargo facility constitutes an almost daily risk for the wellbeing of thousands of guests frequenting the area on foot.
As stated earlier, building a proper seaside promenade from the cruise terminal along the shore and via the adjacent marinas connecting with Boardwalk Boulevard would appear to be a good investment in St. Maarten’s tourism economy. It could allow passengers coming off the ships to stroll safely, securely and unbothered towards Philipsburg, enjoying the view of Great Bay in the process.
Making these already existing plans happen will obviously require cooperation from private sector parties in that location, but they too would probably stand to benefit from the result. It certainly seems like a viable long-term and structural solution to a nagging issue.
As the destination continues to regain its prominent position in the Caribbean cruise market, using reconstruction funds made available by the Netherlands via the World Bank for such an important upgrade of this hospitality product deserves serious consideration.
