A Proposed Bridge to Link Placencia and Independence

Is a bridge linking Placencia to Independence coming soon? Today, Stann Creek West Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson confirmed that a proposal is in the making for the construction of a causeway and bridge linking both villages. Discussions have already been had with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development; in fact, engineers visited the area and the estimated price tag is in the tune of thirty-five million dollars. Ferguson says that his hope is for the project to be well underway within the next two years. He explains the economics and environmental considerations behind the proposed project.

Rodwell Ferguson

Rodwell Ferguson, Area Representative, Stann Creek West

“When I look at the situation between Placencia and Independence, imagine if I live at Independence and I want to drive to work every day, I have to drive fifty miles around and only three minutes across. And so I am adamant to find the funding to fund a bridge from Placencia to Independence. The bridge will be point eight of a mile and then we’ll have to build road at least a mile and a half to get across from one side to the next. Imagine you have six school buses leaving the Placencia peninsula every day, go all the way around to Independence so kids have to wake up at five in the morning. If a bridge was there, you wake up seven o’clock, get to school on time. So that is my intention as area representative. I am hopeful that I will accomplish it before the next two and a half years; at least make a start of it.”

Reporter

“Do you anticipate any pushback from environmentalists?”

Rodwell Ferguson

“Well that is part of the cycle. So we have to go to the environmental department and apply and do your ECP and whatever the case may be. They will determine at the end of the day if it is feasible or should be done. But it is basically a bridge across the lagoon that will definitely have more benefits. For example, the amount of emission that we have to travel all around from Placencia to Independence on a daily basis, it is already polluting the airspace. Every single morning, at least twenty-five buses come from Georgetown, from Bella Vista going into Placencia every day. If we can divert the route, it will be less time and less emission. The potential cost based on the engineer that we took there, it will be nothing more than thirty-five million Belize dollars to construct the bridge and to build the causeway. So we are looking at all those figures and figure how it can be done and when it can be done. But we have investors already lined up who want to come onboard.”