Cinderella Plaza Finally Begins Its Transformation
After a significant delay, work is about to begin on the transformation of the Cinderella Plaza in Belize City. Mayor Darrell Bradley says that the contract for the four-million-dollar project was granted to R.J.B. Construction Limited, the company that was responsible for the rebuilding of Chetumal Street and a number of other infrastructural projects. Mayor Bradley says this is why it was not put to tender. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The start of construction to upgrade Cinderella Plaza, a constantly busy intersection which includes Freetown Road, Douglas Jones and Kelly streets, is long overdue. Since Mayor Bradley’s inaugural term in office a few years ago, municipal works have been ongoing across Belize City. More recently, the physical task of addressing the issue of flooding was completed by the Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Project. The resurfacing of the adjoining streets, however, has been left entirely to the Belize City Council.
Darrell Bradley
Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor
“One of the projects that was not completed, simply because of a funding issue is the concreting of the Cinderella Plaza. We’ve been working very closely with the Flood Mitigation Project and the city council decided to foot the bill, so to speak, to concrete the entire Cinderella Plaza area. So that the entire plaza, in terms of the scope of works will be concreted so that they will finish the plaza itself and they will finish the section of Kelly Street which is right behind me and the section of Baymen Avenue that was not completed. All of that is included in the project. They will also ensure, and we promised the taxi operators that their area will be renovated as well so that their taxi spots will be concreted together with the area that we are sitting on right now.”
The project will be executed by RJB Construction Ltd., the company that was responsible for the rebuilding of Chetumal Street.
Darrell Bradley
“We’re going to install proper signage so that it’s going to be a true plaza. We’re going to ensure that the carriageway is completed but we want the Cinderella Plaza to be redeveloped. The contractor will also include a median so that the area that we are looking at which will pass through the plaza, the carriageway itself, will be two lanes on both sides with a median with green space, including trees and planters and so forth and the area that we are sitting on will include an area of green space likewise. And we are currently entertaining the idea of putting some commercial activity here by way of at least four kiosks.”
The sprucing up of the area, according to Mayor Bradley, is not limited to Cinderella Plaza. In fact, a total of seven streets within the immediate vicinity will also be resurfaced.
Darrell Bradley
“It will include the entire length of St. Joseph Street. If members of the public can recall that we commenced a first portion of St. Joseph Street last year, from Princess Margaret Drive to St. Thomas Street. The entire remaining length of the street from St. Thomas Street to, that would be Baymen Avenue, will be concreted. One of the things that we did in our analysis is saw the importance of St. Joseph Street as a bypass to Princess Margaret Drive, in terms of the roundabout and also Freetown Road. So that will be able to take you from this part of the city to the area of Princess Margaret Drive and along the Northern Highway in a shortened time.”
Funding for the renovation of Cinderella Plaza is part of a commercial loan that is approximately four million dollars. That sum will be used to defray other expenses being incurred by the Belize City Council. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
