One of those notorious one lane bridges on the Hummingbird Highway will soon be a full sized two laner. The European Union has provided funding for the construction of a new Silver Creek Bridge to replace the old one that's been there since 1950. Cisco Construction will build the bridge with funding of one million euros, or US$1.2 million. Minister of Works, the Hon. Jose Coye and Gerd Jarchow, non-resident European Commissioner to Belize donned their hard hats today and broke ground at the site at mile 36 on the Hummingbird Highway.
It is envisioned that the project will aid the smooth transport of agricultural products and promote overall economic growth in this area. But more than that, it will make the Hummingbird that much safer, and one man who's felt the sting of its perilous spans, is Glenn Tillet, Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Works. He told today's gathering what the bridge means to him.
Glenn Tillet, Ministry of Works
"Thirty four years ago as a ten year old student, high school student, I was involved in an accident along the Stann Creek Valley Road that claimed two of my school mates. That accident was caused simply because of a one lane bridge. They could not fit a truck and the pickup we were traveling in. As a result two cherished friends of mine died and I'll never forget, I've never forgotten. The memory lives with me and even today I suspect I will carry it with me to the grave."
Nearby residents estimate that since its construction in 1950, the one lane silver creek has claimed 10 lives.
