Espat Defends $69M George Price Highway Upgrade

The Opposition has come out strongly against the Briceno administration’s latest loan motion, warning that the government is burdening Belizeans with yet another hefty debt. They argue that the proposed sixty-nine million loan, tied to road works between Belize City and Hattieville, will saddle the country with twenty years of repayments at a time when pressing social and economic issues remain unresolved. Minister of Infrastructure Development Julius Espat is pushing back against the opposition’s claim that the proposed loan for upgrading the George Price Highway is unnecessary. Minister Espat insists that the project is both urgent and a top priority for his government.

 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“I rise this morning not to quibble over engineering designs or line marking on a highway, but to call out in the strongest possible terms, yet another loan signing agreement that it seems this house of representatives have been relegated to.”

 

 

 

Hugo Patt, Area Representative, Corozal North

“When you look at what is being asked this morning, sixty-nine million dollars for one bridge and fourteen point nine miles of road, one have to ask where are we adopting these standards. If we are building bridges and it has not been a year and we are looking at structural failures. One has to question where are all the guarantees, cost and study analyze reflected on what we are seeing?”

 

 

 

Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development

“And nuh mek no bush lawyer the tell you about nuh have no feasibility, no environmental study, these IFIs do not lend loans without documentation and studies. All of those studies are there. If you want to come to my office, I have asked Corozal North area representative maybe fifteen times to come to my office, but you are lazy, you don’t want to do your homework, you stay in Corozal hiding in your canfield. Come to the office. I have been personally under the Bourton Canal Bridge. It is at a point where the bridge has structurally has flexed. What does flexion in concrete mean, it is at the maximum point where it can fail. You don’t see that driving over it.”