Mahogany Street among Ten Streets to be Resurfaced in Belize City
On Monday, News Five showed you the state of disrepair on Mahogany Street and the challenges motorists were having navigating a short section of road that is in deplorable condition. The Belize City Council, in recognizing the issue, has moved swiftly to resurface that area, along with nine other streets in similar state of disorder across the Old Capital. Earlier today, we sat down with Mayor Bernard Wagner and Councilor Allan Pollard who shared with us City Hall’s plans to rehabilitate a number of streets in Belize City in the coming weeks.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The Belize City Council has commenced remedial work on a section of Mahogany Street near St. Luke’s Methodist School. The area has long been a problem for motorists who traverse that stretch of road at all hours. To solve the issue for good, CitCo has decided to concrete that portion of the thoroughfare. Councilor Allan Pollard is responsible for streets and drains.
Allan Pollard
Allan Pollard, Councilor, Belize City Council
“That was scheduled for this week as one of the priority areas; I mean we know that a lot of people traverse on Mahogany Street. You have the influx of dollar vans and people who do business at the Complex area. And so, in addition to that, we have the tourism gastronomic center coming on soon. So we did have that as a priority area. We have been servicing that portion of Mahogany [Street] with aggregates for quite some time months and months.”
Notwithstanding the time and effort, as well as financial resources, put into repairing that section of Mahogany Street, City Hall has decided on a permanent solution. The existing material has been removed to make room for a steal bed that will be filled with concrete in the days ahead.
Allan Pollard
“While it looks small, it is a significant amount of money that needs to be put there to be concreted. That, if you went out today, you would see that we all already dug up the existing materials and we are leveling now for placement of steal. We should be pouring that soon, so residents could look out for that in the coming days.”
According to Councilor Pollard, a total of ten streets have been designated for urgent repairs.
Allan Pollard
“In terms of the city streets, we have it separated into two categories, one: streets to be concreted and streets that are being chipped and sealed, or tarred, basically. Of that it’s basically ten and ten, and of that, Mahogany Street, as you reported last night, is one of those on the list.”
Also on the list is a section of Albert Hoy Avenue in the vicinity of Belama Phase Three. CitCo has committed to resurfacing the faulty portion of that carriageway; however, Mayor Bernard Wagner says that there is little that can be done to repair Apollo Street.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City Council
“That Apollo Street came under a project the Climate Vulnerability Reduction Program which really looked at that street, construction of that street but also the construction of a bridge which would have given people who were accessing Belama phases four and five that alternate route via the bridge, rather than Apollo Street. Apollo Street runs parallel to the highway and as you know, the highway has always had that sink terrain and it requires significant engineering and technical expertise really get it [repaired]. It was a bad project from day one.”
The municipal government has spent considerably in trying to remedy the problem. That neighborhood in Belama Phase Four is low-lying and prone to flooding. Several efforts have been made to address the problem, but to hear Mayor Wagner tell it, Apollo Street has become a money pit.
Bernard Wagner
“It’s simply a matter of where we are putting money into a project that will continue to sink. We’ve spent over a million dollars every year to just put in hardcore materials to just have it sink in the ground, so it’s wasting money. Just last week, I wrote the Ministry of Infrastructure [Development & Housing] explaining to them that we require some measure of assistance, technical assistance, engineering assistance, to really come up with a long-term solution to that street. It is trafficked a lot given that the Bernice Yorke Institute of Learning is on that street.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
