PHILIPSBURG:--- 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 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, which 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 the eroding hill face and the 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 the contracts for regular maintenance in mid-August. To support the operationalization of these contracts and address the residents' complaints and concerns, the Ministry identified the trench repairs 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.
Ministry of VROMI