A List of 2018’s Capital Projects

Dean Barrow

In the Budget tabled in the House of Representatives last Friday, the government proposes spending of one hundred and fifty-seven million dollars for its capital program – nearly sixty-two million in locally funded Capital Two expenditure and more than ninety-three million in externally funded Capital Three expenditure. While an increase over the projected outturn of a hundred and thirty-two point seven million for the current year, it is still among the lowest figures reported in recent budgets. Prime Minister Dean Barrow listed the key infrastructure projects for which forty-three million dollars in Capital Three funding has been secured.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Continuation of the upgrading of the Hummingbird Highway, eleven million dollars; continuation of the Belize City Southside Poverty Alleviation Project, four million dollars; commencement of work on the upgrading of new sections of the George Price Highway including the construction of a new double lane bridge at Roaring Creek, thirteen million dollars. (Applause) Commencement of work on a upgrading of a new section of the Philip Goldson Highway, five million dollars; commencement of work on the new Airport Link Road joining the access road to the P.G.I.A… (applause) joining that with the Western Highway, three million dollars; commencement of work of New Haulover Bridge, three million dollars; and commencement of work on Phase One of the CARACOL Road Project; four million dollars.”

A further nine-point-five million has been allocated for projects in Education, Health, and Poverty Alleviation programs. As for overall financing of the budget shortfall of a one hundred and eighteen million dollars, sixty-three million in already contracted loans goes to the capital three program; twenty million in budget support financing from Taiwan; fifteen million in Petrocaribe financing from Government coffers and twenty million in domestic financing.