SIMPSON BAY – A soft opening was held on Friday morning, November 5, for the Kim Sha beach parking lot. The concrete parking lot was constructed by Windward Roads Infrastructure B.V. and is also completely lit.
The Kim Sha beach parking lot project broke ground on Monday, May 18, 2016 and was intended to be finalized within a couple of months. Unfortunately, the project faced several obstacles. A lien was placed on the property, which led to a court case ruling in favor of Government. In addition, several objections to this project were filed at the Ministry of VROMI, but stood insufficient ground due to the fact that the pertaining area is zoned for parking. Once completed the parking lot will consist of 175 parking spaces of which six are designated for the disabled.
The Kim Sha Beach/Simpson Bay Beach area, with the largest concentration of nightlife on the island, is rapidly growing and especially during night time has a lack of sufficient parking. With the completion of this project, besides a significant number of additional structured parking spaces, also a pedestrian walkway will be available for the public and visitors of the island. The construction of this parking lot is the first phase of beautification plans to upgrade the infrastructure of the Cole Bay and Simpson Bay strip.
Minister of VROMI Angel Meyers indicated that the project will be finalized once the (legal and permitting) issues with the dive shop and the snack hut are resolved. Currently, approximately 65% of the project is completed. The Minister urged the responsible departments within VROMI and TEATT to do their due diligence and enforce where necessary, in order to be able to complete this project. In the end this project will prove to be beneficial to the development of Cole Bay/Simpson Bay strip in many ways.
