At the top of the news, we showed you our interview with Julius Espat, the Minister of Infrastructure and Development. That happened at mile 59 of the Philip Goldson Highway, where he, Prime Minister John Briceño; The Vice President of the Caribbean Development Bank; and other VIPs broke ground for the Philip Goldson Highway and Remate Bypass Upgrading Project.
It's part of a 114 million-dollar project that will eventually see the entire Philip Goldson Highway receive upgrades from Biscayne Village all the way to the Corozal Border.
The Remate By-pass project will address a major portion of the road. The Mameyal Curve has become infamous for traffic accidents in recent years, several of which have resulted in loss of life.
The work includes road realignment, culvert construction and replacement, and improved pavements and junctions. In addition, sidewalks, bus shelters, and pedestrian crossings will be installed.
At today's groundbreaking ceremony, several of the keynote speakers stressed the importance of making this part of the highway a safer place to drive:
Hon. John Briceno - Prime Minister
"With the upgrading of the Remate Bypass, what we refer to as the shortcut to Chetumal, the route to the Mexican border will be shortened by almost three kilometers. This is something that will positively impact travel time, and it will increase efficiency. But there is another significant benefit that will come when this bypass is completed, and that is safety. In 2016, a total of 101 road traffic fatalities were recorded, of which, just under 50% occurred here along the Philip Goldson Highway. And talking about these fatalities, part here, where we have all of these curves, probably is one of the most dangerous parts of any of the highways that we have in the country."
Hon. Florencio Marin Jr - Minister of National Defence & Border Security
"I believe myself just short of Florence Marin Senior, who is in the audience, has travelled this road the most since the eighties. I had to go to school in Belize City, work in Belmopan, wherever. I am right now in Belmopan. Over these decades, I can still remember a couple of friends who have lost their lives along this side. So, it's a special day for me that we're improving the road. But as well, on another note, I remember when the prime minister invited me to his government the first morning, bright and early, wanting to impress. I left at 4:30 in the morning, with a little traffic to Belmopan. But the next thing I said, 'No, man, I won't do any 4:30, I will do 5:30. Well, when I did it the second week, the amount of traffic from Corozal to Belmopan was just, I mean crazy."
Enea Sermasi - Rep., Politecnica Ingegneria ed Architecttura Societa Cooperativa
"This is our definition of resilient, modern, and sustainable infrastructure. As supervising engineers., we feel we have a great responsibility, and at the same time, an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to the progress of Belize, ensuring these goals are met in the short and in the medium term."
Isaac Solomon - VP Operations, Project Department, CDB
"While the bank has had an impact on many sectors in Belize, a lot of our support has involved road infrastructure improvements. Since 1996, when we approve our first capital investment in the sector, we have provided approximately 330 million Belize dollars in loans and grant financing."
Hon. Julius Espat - Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing
"I was informed by the CEO that the total value is approximately 114 million divided into four lots and the contractors are Teichroeb and Cisco Construction."
Daniel Ortiz
"So, how do the ministry and all of the other agencies hold these contractors accountable to ensure that Belize gets value for this important upgrade?"
Hon. Julius Espat
"That's a very good question. That's why we have the Ministry of Infrastructure Development as the project execution unit, and that is in charge, on behalf of the government of Belize, to do the supervision. They work in conjunction within this case - the foreign supervisory team, which is led by Politecnica out of Italy. So it has various levels of supervision. And that's why we can assure you that the quality is international standards."
Stefan Kossoff - Development Director (Caribbean), Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office
"So the road designs will incorporate measures to improve safety, both for vehicle drivers and pedestrians as well, as the inclusion of safe school zones for children."
A press release from the Caribbean Development Bank says quote, "some 55,000 daily road users will benefit from improved road safety and reduced travel times. The construction phase, which is expected to run until late 2023, will generate increased economic activity for the 45,000 residents of Corozal, Orange Walk, and other northern communities." End quote.
