Above: USVI Gov. John de Jongh (centre) at the ceremony (Photo: OG)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

US Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh has officially opened the just-completed Christiansted Bypass in St Croix.

The $37 million project, which began in 2007, completed construction at the end of 2012.

“The greatly anticipated Bypass is a 1.2-mile roadway [which] fundamentally impacts how we traverse the historic town of Christiansted, one of St. Croix’s greatest treasures,” de Jongh said. “I am pleased that under my administration we took the project plans off the shelf and made the Bypass a reality.”

The governor said planning for the project first began in the 1970s. It is the product of a partnership with the US Federal Highway Administration.

De Jongh called its relationship with the Federal Highway Administration “a partnership that has yielded many projects that has made it easier, faster and safer to travel around the island; a partnership that has also provided the economic activity and opportunities for small business.

“Without question, the Bypass is one of its most notable achievements,” he said.