Mahogany Street Pothole Problem Persists
Mahogany Street is arguably the busiest thoroughfare in Belize City and is alive with activity virtually around the clock. Lately it has been overlooked by City Hall and has fallen into disrepair. It’s an eyesore when it rains and even worse when the ponds dry up, leaving behind large holes in the road for vehicles to find their way through. The portion that is in poor condition has been graded, but the present city council has refused to cement or pave it. Earlier today, News Five’s Isani Cayetano visited the area and spoke with motorists who are complaining about the severe inconvenience.
Michael Davis
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
It’s the shortest section of Mahogany Street that remains unpaved and unseasonable rains have left huge potholes for motorists to navigate. At best, the Belize City Council has graded its surface, but the condition has gotten progressively worse. Drivers are now forced to slow down and carefully negotiate each crater, backing up traffic in many instances, including rush hour.
Michael Davis, Resident, Lake Independence
“I have always wondered why it hasn’t been a priority for the city council because Mahogany Street is like one of the main thoroughfares in the city. There is traffic here almost eighteen hours per day, you know, and [it’s] tight traffic. So I’ve wondered why, and it’s such a short piece of street. If they fix it once and do it right, we wouldn’t be having this problem every time it rains. And what it does, it slows down the traffic because the holes get bigger and bigger and then it slows the traffic.”
The dollar vans that traverse this stretch of road frequently are also having a difficult time. It’s an inconvenience that goes neglected by the municipal government whose responsibility includes streets and drains.
Voice of: Dollar Van Driver
“Ih noh big, da just wah lee area weh dehn need fu fix. I noh think if dehn shoulda just left it soh and have city council just di patch it like sohn Band-Aid patch. So I woulda think that government seek and sih dat dehn try pave a little area, not only fu di dollar van drivers but fi everybody else.”
Isani Cayetano
“Do you suffer any damages to your vehicle, having to travel up and down through this area every day?”
Dollar Van Driver
“Not really, because when I drive over it, I have to be very careful and drive very slow or sometimes I have to divert. Most of the drivers dehn have to divert sekah di damage to the little area, you know, right there.”
Even Belizeans living abroad who return to the country for vacation are disgusted with the state of Mahogany Street.
Belizean American Visitor
“I come to Belize twice a year and this place has been bad for five years now and it’s about time to get it fixed. It’s terrible.”
Isani Cayetano
“As a motorist, do you feel like you’re putting a strain on your vehicle to have to take your time or graze the bottom of your vehicle traveling through there?”
Motorist
“Of course, of course. It’s terrible, I mean that’s some big *ss holes over there and they need to do something, I mean it’s a little piece of place, I mean twenty-five yards. Look at that, they should fix that.”
The state of disrepair sees pedestrians sharing the sidewalk with motorists who do not want to damage their vehicles.
Michael Davis
“It’s almost like Central American Boulevard during rush hour. There’s a bottleneck, traffic is backed up, I mean it’s disheartening. I don’t see why they don’t make it a priority.”
Isani Cayetano
“Now you’re a pedestrian today and I am almost certain that you have seen some of the vehicles driving on the sidewalk to avoid the potholes.”
Michael Davis
“Exactly, they do and we know it’s wrong but sometimes we know that parts are expensive and people are trying to take care of their vehicles as best as they could, you know. So it’s something that happens a lot.”
News Five reached out to the Belize City Council for comment and was told that Councilor Allan Pollard, who is responsible for streets, would return our call. Up to news time we haven’t heard from him.
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
