What will G.O.B. do with Old Haulover Bridge?

With a new structure in place, what will the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing do with the old Haulover Bridge? It’s a question that was put to Chief Engineer Evondale Moody earlier today.  Realizing savings of almost twenty million dollars, permission has been sought to use the remaining funds to relocate parts of the bridge to Cayo District where it will be reassembled to provide access across the Macal River.  And what about the prime crown lands that are left in the wake of the relocation?  According to Moody, government will have to decide what to do with the highly valuable real estate.

 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“Even with that thirty point nine [million dollars], we were not able to use all of the loan funds, and so those loan funds, we have asked OFID for permission to use that to relocate the old structure.  We’ve already implemented an addendum to the contract to M&M Engineering and so now they will start with the dismantling of the structure and two sections of this structure will go to Santa Familia, in the Cayo District.  What happened last week is that I did a reconnaissance with Roque Matus of M&M Engineering of a proper location.  There are two locations that were identified, one is along Branch Mouth that leads to the Hammock Bridge and then there is another section on the eastern side of the Macal Bridge which is known as the Trapiche Road.  That one is more ideal for us to put the structure because where the Hammock Bridge is, is a good location, however the approach to the bridge, the Macal and the Mopan is adjacent to that road and once that floods the road will be inundated by floodwaters so even if we put the bridge there, we elevate it, you still would not be able to access the structure.  And so, I have determined and I have informed the ministry that we will place this structure on the eastern side, on Trapiche to lead us to Santa Familia and present a bridge structure for them there.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“What becomes of these pieces of land now since the access is on the other end and the bridge will be removed?”

 

Evondale Moody:

“That’s a very good question.  I have informed the minister and the CEO that at this point in time that land belongs to the Government of Belize.  It’s prime land and that is one of the most expensive land and so that is a decision that will have to be made by the Government of Belize.  I don’t know what they are going to do with it, but we have land on both sides, on the south side and on the north side and one of the reasons why we did not build a bigger round about here is because land acquisition here is very, very expensive.  We paid three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars] per acre.”