PM Defends Cost of Building Coastal Road

Notwithstanding objections from the other side of the house, Prime Minister Barrow explained the source of funding, as well as the process of arriving at the estimated cost of building the Coastal Road.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“This money is coming via the CDB as a vehicle through which the British are making their disbursement.  You know how long it took us before we got the approval at the board of directors for the loan and for the loan amount?  I guess almost close onto two years.  Look, it was when Cameron was in office and he has been out almost as long as you, so you know that da years ago.  But Madame Speaker, the British came down and spoke to us, the CDB spoke.  This thing went through layers and layers and layers of assessment and follow up inquiries.  Look, you’re talking about the best of the technical expertise of the CDB and of the British government.  Da dehn decided how much this thing is likely to cost.  The amount they had for Belize was such that when they were finished, that paving, that rehabilitation of the Phillip Goldson Highway I was telling you about, from Mile Twenty right down through Orange Walk and Corozal to the border is also going to come out of the British loan funds.  They sat down, they sent their engineers, they sent their experts, then decide based on their knowledge and global standards what this thing is likely to cost.”