Where is the construction now?

[angel61]

I will be there 12/7. Thinking about going to Zee best bakery near the airport.

 

Will I be passing the construction? Will be taking the bus from Phillipsberg in

 

the am. Also, What time does the bridge go up??

 

 

Thanks

[Karysa]

I will be there 12/7. Thinking about going to Zee best bakery near the airport.

 

Will I be passing the construction? Will be taking the bus from Phillipsberg in

 

the am. Also, What time does the bridge go up??

 

 

Thanks

 

Yes, you will be passing the construction on your way to Zee Best by the airport if the construction is still going on as planned. In December the scheduled Simpson Bay Bridge openings are 9,9:30,11,11:30,4:30 and 5:30.

[angel61]

Does the traffic get backed up much in the am hours because of the bridge?

[Karysa]

Does the traffic get backed up much in the am hours because of the bridge?

 

It really depends on how many boats are going through. At that time of year I would say plan for a 10 minute delay but I wouldn't anticipate it to be that long.

[Jeepers385]

Karysa,

With all the construction going on which beach would you recommend to go to without having major delays.

[Karysa]

Karysa,

 

With all the construction going on which beach would you recommend to go to without having major delays.

 

 

If you want to avoid the construction then the most popular beaches for cruisers that would be affected are Simpson Bay, Maho and Mullet. If you avoid that area you should be fine. That leaves many great beaches including Orient, Le Galion and Petite Plage just to name a few. If you let us know what you are looking for in a beach we can help you narrow down which beach might be best suited to you.

[Jeepers385]

If you want to avoid the construction then the most popular beaches for cruisers that would be affected are Simpson Bay, Maho and Mullet. If you avoid that area you should be fine. That leaves many great beaches including Orient, Le Galion and Petite Plage just to name a few. If you let us know what you are looking for in a beach we can help you narrow down which beach might be best suited to you.

 

Thank you, we'll probably go to Orient, been there before just wanted to make sure we avoided the construction and traffic.

[bcommander1]

We will be on St. Maarten on Dec 7th also. We want to go to Maho Beach. What time (worst case scenario) should we leave to be back to the cruise port by 4pm.

[WarmWaters]

I want to know the answer too, as we will be there next week and are planning to go to Maho in the early afternoon. From what I have learned so far, it seems if your ship is leaving at 5 pm, then its a good idea to leave Maho at 2:30 pm at the latest.

 

I am still hopefull someone will give us an update how long it will take with a taxi to get back early afternoon from Maho to the ship.

 

I did a Google search and found this on Tripadvisor, posted in the last couple of days:

 

"1. The construction is taking place in Cole Bay. You will pass through it going between Maho and Philipsburg unless you go the long way around the island. But sometimes that is shorter. They say the construction will be complete by mid December. Car or bus, you'll be stuck in the same traffic!

 

2. Just returned from 2 weeks in St. Maarten/St. Marten. The traffic in the construction area of Welfare Road is unpredictable. Every time we passed through through that area, no matter what time of day, the traffic was delayed. Just prepare for that as you pass through the area.

 

3. (Posted Nov 2011) No traffic at all around the airport, but Simpson Bay/Cole Bay can be a mess. And sometimes Marigot to Cole Bay. Would it be better to drive from the airport to Dawn Beach the opposite way - through the Maho area then through Marigot? Yes, if I were going to anywhere on the French side from the airport I would go thru Marigot.

I will say that traffic in Simpson Bay has gotten much better, but it still can back up and you just don't know when. The taxi's know the best way. Since the rates are controlled, they lose $$$ sitting in traffic."

"

[satbeachbill]

Great news! I just read that Welfare Road in Cole Bay will be reopen to two way traffic on Decmeber 9th. :)

 

Now it will be just the usual trafic jams!

[gtaylor]

There is much speculation on-island that they won't make December 9th, but hope reigns.

 

The photo accompaning the article in today's paper shows the huge trench-pit that they've been digging, and it's only progressed maybe 100 yards since we were there last month.

 

Apparently they are 'finishing' the project on-time by postponing all of the work on the associated feeder streets until after high season is over.

 

Hopefully this is good news, but as satbeachbill mentions, that still leaves the regular horrific traffic flow.

 

gary