EBENEZER, Sint Maarten — The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI) hereby informs of the temporary closure of a section of Ebenezer Road, i.e. the intersection of W.R. Plantz Road and Johannes C. Paap Road, as part of the Hillside Stabilization Project. This closure is necessary to facilitate critical construction and safety measures for the project.
The closure will be in effect from today, Monday, March 10th 2025 to Wednesday, April 9th 2025. The Hillside Stabilization Project is the Ministry’s response to severe erosion along the Ebenezer Trench that has led to the collapse of this essential infrastructure. Over the years, this has led to the inability of contractors to clean the trench and, in some cases, left residents of Ebenezer prone to increased flooding.
In 2010 residents expressed concern over the manner in which excavation and construction were taking place. In 2020 and 2021 letters were submitted to the Ministry highlighting eroding hill face and impact of falling soil. Tropical storm rains in early August 2024 worsened the state of erosion, leading to the collapse of a septic tank and cistern from a residence in the hills of Valley Estate into the yard of neighbors below Ebenezer.
Upon taking office at the end of June, current Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs, finalized the halted three-year tender process for trench cleaning, issuing, in mid-August, the contracts for regular maintenance. To support the operationalization of these contracts and to address the complaints and concerns of the residents, the Ministry identified the repairs of the trench and the stabilization of the eroded cliff face as critical. Assessments began at the end of August 2024 and were completed in early February 2025.
The closing of this section of the road will facilitate mobilization, allowing the project to begin with the creation of a staging area for equipment and dumpsters for removed debris (Phase One). Phase two of the project will be the physical intervention into the hillside against erosion to reduce the chances of landslides in the future.
In preparing the intervention, the Ministry received a report on the possible causes of the erosion, which the Minister stated underscored, in particular, the importance of sound spatial planning.
This is aided by things like the civil works permit and continuous oversight by the inspection department.
Minister Gumbs expressed his thanks to the residents of Ebenezer for their patience and their trust in him, his team, and the Ministry; and apologizes for the inconvenience that addressing this longstanding issue will inevitably have.
