Highway Upgrade Debate: Is the Price Too High for a Smoother Ride?

An upgraded stretch of the George Price Highway from Belmopan to La Democracia Village is in the works—and while that may sound like good news for commuters, it’s raising some serious questions about cost. The Government of Belize is banking on a thirteen-million-dollar loan from the Kuwait Fund to cover nearly half—forty-seven percent—of the project. But that still leaves a fifteen-million U.S. dollar gap, which the government will need to fill to complete the eighteen-mile upgrade. Mesop Area Rep Lee Mark Chang isn’t convinced it’s worth the price tag. He argues the road is already in decent condition and that the funds could be better spent elsewhere. As the government pushes forward with its infrastructure plans, the debate continues: is this a smart investment in Belize’s future—or a costly move that misses the mark?

 

Lee Mark Chang, Area Representative, Mesopotamia

“There are many roads and streets and town that needs upgrade, roads that need TLC in the villages. There are much more important issues to deal with than roads, roads, road, health care, dialysis, food pantry, or grocery bags, home improvements, maybe the outstanding salary raise for teachers or any other social nets programs. I remember a famous quote, we can’t eat the street boss, we can’t eat it. Twenty-nine kilometers of road is equal to eighteen miles. The road from La Democracia to Belmopan already has a lot of infrastructure work, so how will it cost so much money, three million dollars a mile to refurbish a road that already has infrastructure and a lot of stuff. I am no engineer, but it should not cost three million dollars a mile.”