TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Infrastructure can't handle the rains and flooding

Time for the island to start worrying about infrastructure! Stop allowing building everywhere!

I’ve been singing this song for at least twenty years but nothing has improved.

You can’t lay concrete on every spare inch of ground and not experience these problems. And yet they build more and more high rises and allow more and more cars with no adequate parking or drainage provisions, never mind roads. It kills me to say this but after fifty years of annual visits I’m about done with my beloved island.

I feel exactly the same Pat. Parking is terrible and gets worse every year. Choosing a place for dinner is often determined on finding a parking spot. The roads are in dire need of fixing. My first week staying at the Hilton Flamingo, I have to travel on Billy Foley Road and it is full of large holes everywhere. With all the recent rain and flooding, it is actually dangerous to go anywhere especially at night. When paradise is covered in cement, it is not paradise anymore!

We also have to travel on Billy Foley coming and going t the Flamingo. As bumpy and pothole riddled it is I do appreciate the fact that tends to slow down the traffic. Otherwise it would become a speed street.

Several years ago when it was in better condition, it never was a speed street! I feel sorry for all the residents who have to travel on tha road every day.

Once you get past the Flamingo Entrance the smooth street before the Flamingo Hill Side Villas if it wasn't for the speed bumps it becomes one with the locals.

Here is an interesting editorial posted on many public Facebook pages.
"EDITORIAL
A Flood of Consequences
Today, Sunday, St. Maarten found itself drowning—not just in water, but in the stark reality of decades of poor planning, negligence, and outright disregard for sustainable development. Torrential rains have once again exposed the cracks in our overdeveloped island’s infrastructure, leaving homes, businesses, and communities inundated. The question we must ask ourselves is: how many more times will history repeat itself before we see real change?
Flooded streets, impassable roads, and submerged neighborhoods are no longer freak occurrences—they are the new normal. The situation today is not merely an act of nature but a direct consequence of human failure. The evidence is all around us: a front wall of a hillside mansion, possibly constructed in violation of the hillside policy, crumbled when its foundation gave way, taking its prideful facade with it. Why? Because the absence of a proper retaining wall made it an accident waiting to happen.
The flooding today is not just water—it’s a wake-up call. The ponds and mangroves, St. Maarten’s natural defenses, were designed by nature to act as catchment areas. Yet time and time again, these precious ecosystems have been bulldozed, drained, or filled to make way for "progress." We pour concrete over our future and then act surprised when disaster strikes.
The St. Maarten Pride Foundation has warned us for two decades about the dangers of deforestation, hillside excavation, and the destruction of natural buffers. Their message has largely fallen on deaf ears. The result? Floodwaters that sweep away not just homes and vehicles but also the hope that we might someday get this right.
And yet, we continue to ignore the basics. Maintenance of critical infrastructure is neglected. Roads, like Welgelegen Road, remain treacherous, their issues unresolved until tragedy strikes. Why do we wait until it’s too late? Is it truly that difficult to prioritize safety and sustainability over political expediency and short-term gain?
We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the consequences of poor planning and irresponsible development. Every flooded home, every destroyed business, every crumbled hillside is a reminder of what happens when we fail to act.
The government, particularly the Ministry of VROMI, must take responsibility. It’s time for action, not excuses. Enforce the hillside policy. Protect what remains of our natural defenses. Invest in proper zoning and sustainable infrastructure. Hold those who cut corners and sign off on disastrous permits accountable.
The people of St. Maarten deserve better. They deserve leaders who care more about the island’s future than lining their pockets or appeasing developers. They deserve a government that plans for the next generation, not just the next election.
If we don’t change course now, the floods of today will seem minor compared to the disasters that await. St. Maarten cannot afford to sink any further—literally or figuratively."

Beautifully stated and all so very true.
Having gotten caught out one evening in a torrential downpour we fast realized how bad the road conditions were with regard to mudslides and treacherous rushing rainwater not to mention potholes which are always an issue.
I’ve finally realized that as much as I love the island, and I truly do, it’s just no longer my idea of paradise as we once knew it. And with every year it gets worse and worse.
Too much concrete, too many high rises, too many substandard roads, (aren’t they all???), too many cars and too little parking. Too much graft and too much corruption?!
That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it!!

I read that too and it speaks volumes. However regardless, I see nothing being done in the future to improve the situation. As tourists, we only have to put up with all of this for a short time, but the residents have to deal with all of these problems every single day of the year! They definitely deserve better from their government.

I totally agree with you, Pat. It's sad, but you are RIGHT ON!!!

Been going to SXM for almost 35 years. After the 5th year ....30 years ago we said it was changing to much and went to Aruba one time, did not like Aruba or the other islands so been retuning to SXM every year since 4 or 5 times year. Problem is for everyone that says its getting do crowded , to dangerous , not clean, or to expensive and vow never to go back, 5 more people discover SXM and LOVE IT. And that's the problem for the ones that think their is someplace else out there better.

👏👏🙏😊

We have been going to SXM for two weeks every year for the last 25 and Aruba six out of the last ten years and they are TOTALLY different experiences.

...Aruba, in my opinion, is a safer feelig Island with great roads and minimal traffic.
..It has fantastic beaches and local attractions. The beach at the high rise hotels (Palm Beach) is MUCH more crowded and noisy with more resorts and condos are constantly being built so things might change for the worse in the future.
..The food and drinks are much more expensive ($58/case for local beer) both at restaurants and modern shopping markets.
..There is really minimal ""Island Feel" in Aruba at or near the TS resorts. It kinda feels like NE USA with great weather and beaches
..USA preclearance makes flights back home more convenient. There is minimal, if any, yachts to watch and only one or two cruise ships per day.
..Aruba is out of the path of major storms so no worries there. It rarely rains but is VERY windy most of the time
..

,,,SXM is much more congested and I can't say I always feel safe after dark.
..The roads are a mess and traffic can be ugly.
..The beaches are great, there are many excellent places to eat and the food and drink are priced much more reasonably.
..SXM most definitely has that "Island Feel" to it ...boardering on third world.
..Being hit by major storms is a big uncontrollable negative and it rains frequently
..Watching the yachts around Simpson Bay and sitting at SBYC and seeing them pass through the open bridge is a definite plus.
..Our view from our 5th floor upper B building condo at SBR cannot be duplicated on Aruba and is worth the trip.

Both Islands have there good and not so good points. It is up to the visitor to choose which one to return to....

Pat- we are too!! No more nonsense!!

We stay at LaVista Beach 5/7 weeks per year for several years and are very familiar with Billy Folly Rd. I have been told by another long time LVB owner that the first section of BFR from Welfare Rd. to Juliets Restaurant is actually on private land owned by the adjacent properties. In order to upgrade this section of the road would require cooperation and funding from these owners. Has anyone else heard of this?

We're also LVB owners, and this is a very interesting comment. "Lake Atrium" has supposedly been remedied several times, but nothing seems to be a permanant solution. Heading there on Saturday, so I'll be interested to see the condition of the roads at that time. Friends who are on the island now have said that it was nearly impassable last weekend.

The island seems to be drying back up, Lake Atrium which was out to BFR at one point had the Garden Market parking lot flooded as well. We didn't drive down BFR past Atrium but water was not visible from Welfare Rd. I would guess the flooding was a big cause of the recent traffic issues as well, which along with the rain has been the worst we have experienced on island. Traffic was much better last night. Lake Mullet was still there but much reduced. We also can walk from BSV to Maho without having to walk through water, it is pretty dry now and was pretty bad.

It is still a great island but they certainly have done a poor job of infrastructure planning and execution.

Cheers from SXM!

Todd--I realize the weather has been crappy, but how has your trip been otherwise?

Todd, another confirmation, I drove thru lake mullet(LM) last night on way to Porto Cupecoy for dinner and it was no problem. But you are right because of how really bad LM has been for DAYS, it basically has closed down everything past LM. That's a choke point and intolerable for the reputation of SXM…..dave

Just curious, were roads on the French side similarly affected?

Carol, this has been a very different pace trip but we always find the good in the trip, mostly we have done a lot of near nothing. So far this has been a less is more trip. This is a four week trip so we have to do some work while here and that has been easy here at BSV having beach right here and room to work when needed. We have gone out to lunch a couple times but mostly here, have enjoyed dinner out often but also enjoyed steaks and burgers here at the unit. Relaxation is the key need and we are getting that. We move from BSV on Sunday to the Cupecoy area, then we will be visiting more beaches and hoping that Cupecoy gets some sand and less swells.

Evenings have been visits to mostly our normal usual haunts which includes: Lal's, The Palms, Huppel, La Chingona, Le Moulin Fou, La Rosa, Mr Chow and Mezza Luna. Sadly we have not really gotten out of our norm but will starting tonight and going into our final two weeks on island.

While the rain has been a significant factor early in the trip we are A OK, enjoying ourselves.
Cheers!

Hi, Todd and Mj,

Yours sounds like a perfect trip to me - just the kind we love. Do what we want when we want if we want. Or not……enjoy the rest of your stay. 🙂🙂

Todd--that is what WE want in a vacation, to relax, and you can certainly do that in spades at BSV. And we really enjoy eating in, mostly simple meals cooked on the grill.

Enjoy the rest of your vacation!