Executive Office Of The Government Of The Virgin Islands

Executive Office Of The Government Of The Virgin Islands Office Of Highway Engineering Division, doing business as Virgin Islands Department Of Public Works, is a U.S. territorial government entity that serves as the official transportation authority for the U.S. Virgin Islands, receiving federal grant funding as the prime recipient for highway planning, construction, preservation, and ferry operations across the territory.

The organization is a child division of the Government Of The Virgin Islands (parent UEI LQHVPBLNMEB3) and operates as a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Christiansted, St. Croix. It holds no federal contracts but acts exclusively as a prime recipient of federal transportation grants and, less frequently, as a sub-recipient of grants administered by its parent government. The entity competes on a non-set-aside basis, accessing formula grant allocations and project-based awards from federal transportation programs.

The vast majority of the recipient's federal footprint derives from the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Of 596 total awards in the source, 517 (87%) are FHWA grants under the Highway Planning and Construction program (CFDA 20.205) and related federal-aid highway initiatives. Representative work includes a $25 million project grant from the Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation for the Veterans Drive Improvements Phase 2 project (awarded September 24, 2024) to widen and revitalize Veterans Drive in Charlotte Amalie with a tree-lined, four-lane divided roadway and waterfront pedestrian promenade; a $1.5 million Highway Planning and Construction project grant (July 22, 2025) for Phase 1 of the Clifton Hill Connector Route 75 improvements, including intersection reconstruction and roadway enhancements; and a $1.9 million project grant (August 29, 2024) for Mahogany Road Route 76 roadway improvements including road reconstruction, milling, re-paving, drainage improvements, and signage installation. The entity also administers Ferry Boat Program formula funds (CFDA 20.270) to ferry operators such as Varlack Ventures Inc. and Transportation Services of St. John Inc., with multiple obligated awards for ferry boat operations and maintenance facilities across FY26. Beyond FHWA, the recipient holds formula grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (CFDA 20.600 and 20.616) for behavioral highway safety programs, occupant protection, and traffic safety information system improvements; a $974,425 Section 402 State and Community Highway Safety Grant (October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029) and a $133,754 Section 405(c) State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements Grant (October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029) exemplify this portfolio. The recipient also manages 38 NHTSA awards and 33 FEMA awards (primarily emergency relief related to hurricane damage and tropical storm recovery).

Activity has grown modestly across recent years, averaging roughly 20 awards annually from 2022 to 2024 (27 in 2022, 31 in 2023, 37 in 2024) with a decline in 2025 and 2026 (11 and 12 awards respectively, likely reflecting a lag in reporting at the time of the source snapshot on October 15, 2026). The combined obligated value across all awards totals $491.1 million, with concentration heavily on highway infrastructure and safety programming. Twenty-three awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months and face recompete exposure. The recipient also holds a sub-award portfolio of 33 grants (6% of awards) administered as pass-through funding from the Government Of The Virgin Islands parent, including slope stabilization projects, drainage improvements, tsunami shelter construction, and watershed mitigation work across St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Work is performed in the U.S. Virgin Islands territory across multiple islands (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix) with administrative oversight from the Christiansted headquarters.