Year: 2024

For the first time since it has been constructed, vehicles were able to cross the new Haulover Bridge near mile five on the Philip Goldson Highway. Today, Ministry of Infrastructure Development officials walked over the bridge to inspect the almost complete structure and we took that opportunity to ask them about it during a soft opening. News Five’s Marion Ali was there this morning to speak with ministry officials about the new structure and the scope of work that is still left to finish. Here’s that report.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

It has been under construction for the past two years and today, vehicles were able to cross over the new Haulover Bridge near mile five on the Philip Goldson Highway. While most of the work is completed on the new bridge, Chief Engineer Evondale Moody explained that there is still some work left to complete.

 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“We’re doing basically a soft opening of the new Haulover Bridge. This is being done in an effort for us to get traffic onto the new structure because of the old alignment we have to tie into the existing road. And so at that intersection is where we will have a high elevation, and so we need to close off the whole approach so that traffic could be transferred to the new bridge. The idea is to have that done by the first or second week in March. Once we could complete all the aspects of the new structure, which includes the additional rails that we have pending and some tie-ins that we have to do for the utility companies, then we would consider the bridge to be 100 percent complete.”

 

The new bridge is designed to last several decades, Moody says, as its capacity is intended to withstand.

 

Evondale Moody

“With the integrity of the structure, we definitely believe that it will be able to sustain natural disasters. It’s also designed to contain basically a category five hurricane. So that shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not a steel structure that would be susceptible to wind damages and so forth. And also the substructure that we have is designed for earthquake as well. So this should be a structure that should last us, with maintenance, at least a hundred years. The bridge structure is designed to Ashton 93 – an HL 93, sorry. And so that is designed to carry a substantial amount of weight. So that shouldn’t be an issue in terms of the stability of the structure.”

 

And while the bridge, constructed at a cost of around thirty million Belize dollars, is expected to meet the growing demands of a rapidly expanding city and traffic heading north, the Minister of Infrastructure Development, Julius Espat says he has more reasons than one to feel proud of the project.

 

Julius Espat, Minister, MIDH

“This is the first bridge that was designed by a Belizean, built by a Belizean, supervised by a Belizean. How can you not be proud of a situation like this? And you all are seeing it. It’s an awesome experience to be here. It’s a Belizean initiated project. It’s not red or blue, and I have stood by that from the day I was elected and from the day I was given the opportunity to be the minister. We represent all peoples: red, blue, mauve, pink, people of all colors.”

 

 

 

Espat explained that the completion and opening of the bridge at this time was not designed to coincide with the upcoming municipal elections because it was scheduled to be completed around this time. The  bridge is scheduled to be officially opened in the latter part of March, when all the electricity connections and other fixtures are in place. Marion Ali for News Five

 

The old Haulover Bridge, meanwhile, has not seen its last days as yet. It will be used somewhere in the Cayo District, using the same contractor that built the Haulover Bridge, M and M Engineering.

And, only a short distance away from the new Haulover Bridge, works are currently ongoing at the roundabout near the Biltmore Hotel. Anyone travelling out or into the city would note that the area has been under construction for quite some time. So, what has been the delay in completing the project? We asked Evondale Moody, the Chief Engineer at MIDH.

 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“The delays we had were that we had significant problem in locating the BTL underground docks and we also had to take some time to ensure we don’t damage the twenty-four inch water pipe that was there. So that line and the BTL line took us some time and that caused some delay to the contractor. But, we think it was important for us to take some time, especially with the BWS pipe, because if we had broken that pipe we would have cut off water to the entire Belize City and that would have taken us at least a week to fix and from what we gathered from BWS, their capacity in Belize City for water is only for twenty-four hours. So we deemed it necessary to ensure the contractor takes his time doing the piling works that were required. We expected those works will be completed by the second of March. I got that update from the contractor, two days ago and so right now they are working on the beams and they will be pouring the deck slab for the circle and then complete those works.”              

When reporters caught up with Minister Espat in Belize City today, he was also asked about the concerns raised by the Belize Elite Basketball League over the price tag attached to using the Belize City Civic Center. As we reported, teams that host home games inside the Civic are required to pay five thousand dollars for each game played. The league’s management argues that the fee is well above their budget. The facility is managed by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing. So, we asked the minister for a response to the league’s concerns. Here is what he told us.

 

Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructural Development

“I don’t see how. The situation is that every home team pays five thousand dollars for the use of the Civic on the night that they are the home team. What do they get for that? We provide security. If you go the civic and compare it to any other arena that the country has it is one of the areas that is maintained to the highest level. It is clean. No bathroom is leaking, no bathroom is broken. All the chairs are properly placed. There are clean. The environment is healthy the air-conditioning works. We provide even security for the games. For those five thousand dollars, what does the home team gain? Well they have access to the ticketing and they have access to the bar. So, if they want to reduce the rates, no problem, then give us the ticketing and give us the bar and then there is no charge. So it is a private, public partnership and we are doing our part. If the Government of Belize, through us does not maintain the civic they won’t even have an auditorium to be able to work or practice in. I think it is a balanced approach. They all signed the contracts before they made interviews. All those contracts I have on my desk signed by them because they know it is fair, it is extremely fair. And, the misconception is that two teams pay for the same night, one team, the home team pays for the civic and they have the ability to generate the income and they do generate income. The bar alone generates more than five thousand dollars and the thickening alone does that.”

The Philip Goldson bust has been mounted at its permanent location atop a marble pedestal protected by barriers at the entrance to the highway named after him. It’s been there about a week now after after it was severely damaged in September of last year. Sculptor, Stephen Okeke got the contract to repair the bust and after a little over two months, it was completed. Today, News Five asked the Minister of Infrastructure Development, Julius Espat about the importance of having the bust repaired and put back in its place.

 

Julius Espat, Minister, MIDH

“Philip Golson is a national hero, just like George Price is a national hero. We thought it was very important that the image of our national hero was destroyed, so we contacted the artiste and we made sure that he was given deposits based on the quality of work and the time frame and he came through. So the final product is now there. And we added a couple little, as you would say, nice features, like the marble. I think it’s a national hero, so why not? And the Chief Engineer also placed some protective barriers so that it can minimize the toppling down again of the statue or the bust. But again, nobody should be speeding around that roundabout. So, as I said, we can only do our part, and we as a culture, all of us, have to look out for this country and look out for the things that you all invest in. Remember that all of that is your money. You pay taxes and your taxes are what’s putting these things up. But we have to, we have to be proud of our national heroes.”

It is just about two months before the annual budget is presented in the National Assembly and in the coming weeks, the various ministers will be putting forth their reasons why they believe their ministries and departments ought to be given more spending power. Among the ministers who believe that their portfolio deserves to be among the top priorities in the national budget is Julius Espat for the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing. Today he explained to us why.

 

Julius Espat, Minister, MIDH

“If the Ministry of Finance does not see M.I.D.H. as a priority, then you’ll have problems because you will be interviewing every single minister and the first thing that will come to their mind is infrastructure. Because again, if we don’t put in the road works in the sugar area, the cane farmers will be protesting in Belmopan. If we don’t do the farm roads in the west and in the south, the farmers will be protesting. If we don’t assist the tourism areas where the tourists come in, then you’ll have problems from the tourism sector. There is no way government cannot invest in infrastructure. So in my opinion, it is a major priority. What we do is not only what you see here, but it drives the economy of a country. Without proper infrastructure, you don’t have an economy that can generate income. So that is our responsibility and in Cabinet you lobby as hard as you can for and on behalf of the people of Belize.”

The Fort George Hotel and Spa is officially open for business. Formerly known as the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina, January thirty-first, 2024 marked the last day of the hotel’s ties to the Radisson franchise and as of February first, the title has been formally removed. But that is not the only change the hotel welcomed today, as it opened the doors to its newest wing which boasts an array of new rooms and amenities. News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the hotel earlier today for a tour. Here’s the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

February first marks a day of new beginnings for the Fort George Hotel which has been under construction for over a year. It finally opened its door to the public today. We spoke with Resort Manager, Eddison Trapp to hear how things are going so far.

 

Eddison Trapp, Resort Manager, Fort George Hotel and Spa

“Well, as you probably know, January thirty-first, we detached from the Radisson franchise and we decided to officially open up the Fort George Hotel and Spa, February first, to coincide with one, the demand that we have, and two, because we detached from the Radisson, we want to make it significant, and February first, given the occupancy rate that we’re having, we decided to make it official to be Fort George Hotel and Spa.”

 

Clarisse Ramirez, Sales and Marketing Executive also shared her excitement for the hotel’s rebrand.

 

Voice of: Clarisse Ramirez, Sales and Marketing Executive, Fort George Hotel and Spa

“So today marks a significant and exciting moment in the hospitality landscape of Belize City to celebrate the transformation of our well known Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina into being known as the Fort George Hotel and Spa. This transition marks the beginning of a new era of modern luxury and exceptional hospitality in our city.”

 

Even without an official launch of its newest wing, the Fort George Hotel and Spa opened to a full house today, filling over thirty new rooms.

 

Eddison Trapp

“Occupancy at this time is one hundred percent and it coincides with the colonial section as well as the new Fort George Hotel and Spa. On this side of the Fort George Hotel and Spa, we have thirty-three rooms with three penthouses. On the colonial section, we have thirty-three rooms as well, giving us a total of sixty-six rooms. If you would notice on the right side, outside the building, the club tower, we are doing major renovation to that particular section of the hotel and the aim is to fulfill that renovation by the end of this year, November of this year, to meet the demand.”

 

 

Some of the newest amenities include The Kin spa and sauna, where guests can receive facials, body wraps and massages; a gym in partnership with Burn Box; and a restaurant, bar and lounge called The Treehouse, which offers private dining spaces for social gatherings and events and a plunge pool just outside the back door. Despite the full house, we were able to visit a penthouse suit on the fifth floor, which included two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and dining area, as well as a private balcony with a view of the sea.

 

 

 

Clarisse Ramirez

“With the thirty-three newly built deluxe guest rooms and penthouses, the rooms were inspired by the hues of the Caribbean Sea that grace our shores and the interiors boast natural woods and a light color palette, creating an ambience of serenity and comfort.”

 

Trapp stated that the staff running the operations will remain the same.

 

Eddison Trapp

“We are always looking for qualified professionals and so currently our staff remains the same.  Occasionally, we do get support from our sister company, the Alaia, in San Pedro and as well from our head office, but the local team pretty much takes care of the operation of the hotel.”

 

Ramirez stated that this new endeavor will be a positive addition for the hospitality industry moving forward.

 

Clarisse Ramirez

“This opening just marks the first step in the redevelopment of this historic hotel with more enhancements to be unveiled later this year and we will continue to expand which means a complete refurbishment of the original hotel with the addition of the hundred and ten rooms, which is destined to open in phases of next year.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.