Two forklift accidents at a federal facility on St. Thomas have prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency to seek bids for paving work at its Mosquito Point complex, including a dirt-and-gravel route serving Communications Bunker #3.
In a solicitation issued by FEMA Region 2, the agency describes the access road to Bunker #3 as "mission critical" and notes it has been the site of two recorded forklift incidents. One accident resulted in the driver being ejected from the vehicle. FEMA did not disclose when the accidents took place, name the driver involved or confirm whether injuries occurred.
The planned work would involve surfacing the unpaved road to Bunker #3 while also resurfacing existing asphalt routes across the site. An optional component would extend paving to the access road serving Bunker #2. According to procurement documents, the improvements aim to enhance safety, accommodate heavy vehicles and forklifts, improve access for operations and eliminate roadway hazards.
The Mosquito Point facility occupies roughly 20 acres of steep, rocky terrain with approximately one mile of roadways. The complex currently has about 0.45 miles of concrete surfaces, 0.39 miles of asphalt and 0.14 miles of unpaved road.
Recent work at the site has added to the repair workload. Sections of asphalt were cut to install underground electrical power lines and fiber-optic cables, leaving areas that now need ground preparation, compaction and resurfacing.
FEMA released the solicitation on September 28, setting an offer deadline of 3 p.m. Eastern time on September 29. The notice became inactive on September 30, and no contract award has been publicly announced.
The facility has anchored FEMA operations in the territory since 2017. In 2018, FEMA spent roughly $84,779 on restoration work at the St. Thomas bunker following Hurricane Maria. The following year, the agency paid $7,000 for forklift repairs and inspections at the complex.
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