Belize City Streets finally being paved

The traffic inconvenience is a minor sacrifice pedestrians and motorists seemed prepared to endure in exchange for better streets in the old capital. That is what News Five discovered when we visited three of the areas that the Belize City Council said earlier this week it would upgrade. Work is well underway on Wood, Johnson and Orange Streets in the south side that were screaming for urgent help. Marion Ali has the update.

Marion Ali, Reporting
This is how Wood Street looks two days after the Belize City Council promised it would begin works to conduct repairs. Aside from minor work below the street level, which the Belize Water Services is expected to complete by tonight, the street is almost ready for paving. The road works are a welcoming initiative by the residents.

Addy Garcia, Wood Street Resident
“Yoh know dat wen ih rain and so, yoh di walk down di street and dah noh di car fault dat yoh get wet; dah just dat dehn noh di try run into di next car or run into di next hole and when dehn splash eena di pothole, dehn no notice and dehn would ah wet yoh up. So I would ah give thanks to di Ministry of Works and di Mayor fi do wah fine job.”

Colin Wiltshire, Wood Street Resident
“Deh change di drainage, culvert and den dehn put di culvert.”

Marion Ali
“You’re not concerned that with the paving that will take place, you will have speeding now?”

Colin Wiltshire
“Yes we wah have speeding but still ih wah much easier. So all weh dehn have to do now dah put wah speed bump dah di lane deh.”

Running parallel to Wood Street is Johnson Street and that too was getting attention today. The other street the Council promised would see urgent attention is Orange Street between Euphrates Avenue and downtown Belize City. When we visited that area, we discovered that drainage work had also started. That too was good news to businesspeople and taxi drivers alike.

Maria Rosado, Proprietor, Rosado’s Tortilla Factory
“I feel happy about it. We really need it.”

Marion Ali
“It used to affect your business?”

Maria Rosado
“Yes, it affected it because water would get in here and dust yes.”

Charles Williams, Taxi Driver
“I di drive taxi fi eleven years round Belize and dis dah di first time I si dis street like dis and dis need to be done di proper way. We taxi driver suffer wah lot wid dehn street bad like dis so. I’m happy fi get dis street fixed up. All di rest of street fix up same kinda way too.”

Another street that was named in the Council’s list of priority areas, Lizarraga Avenue over on north side, is perhaps the street in the worst condition, as was evidenced by this car trying to navigate its way safely off it. The residents and motorists who use Lizarraga Avenue are no doubt anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Ministry of Works trucks that will signal the start of repair work on their street. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.

Mayor Zenaida Moya said on Tuesday that the Ministry of Works will be assisting the council to repair the city streets.