George Price Highway Set for Modern Transformation

From widening lanes and installing new drainage systems, to reconstructing bridges and stabilizing flood-prone areas, the project aims to upgrade the George Price Highway into a modern, resilient roadway. On Tuesday, Moody provided Senators with a detailed explanation of why the project is valued so high. Today, he sought to do the same with reporters. Here is some of what he had to say.

 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“From Pound Yard Bridge the project travels west from leaf roundabout at Central American Boulevard. That section will be overlayed with hot mix to improve the waring course of the pavement within the city along Cemetery Road. Then we have to improve the drains within that section of the city as well. Travelling west from Central American Boulevard towards Western Avenue, as you know that section is usually inundated by flood waters. The pavement there is also deteriorated. We have to remove that entire concrete pavement and we have to construct new line concrete sidewalk along both sides. Beyond Western Avenue, that section also does not have any drains and it is always inundated by Mirab going west. So we have to construct new line drains within that section and that section will now become a boulevard. It will have four lanes. Moving from there toward Old Belize, the highway will have two lanes, but the shoulders will be widened, because we also don’t have any shoulders in that section. You are also aware that the section near Old Belize is undergoing differential settlement. The pavement fluctuates. So we have to install a pile raft, board piles and we will have to establish a rigid formation foundation to see if that will work. Leaving Old Belize, we have to construct a new bridge at Burdon Canal. The existing bridge structure there is already deflecting, you might not be able to see it, but the inspections we have done shows the bridge is deflecting. To construct a new bridge there, we have to construct a temporary bridge.”

 

And that is only from the Pound Yard Bridge to the Burdon Canal Bridge. The works will extend all the way through Hattieville and further includes the construction of retaining walls, the construction of box culverts, the reconstruction of the Hattieville roundabout and the replacement of the Hector Creek Bridge.