Much-needed repairs and upgrades coming for northern roads

On December 5th, the Area Representative Honourable Andre Perez, Deputy Mayor Dianeli Aranda, San Pedro Town Council operations manager Alex Eck, and tourism stakeholders met to discuss upgrading the roads in northern Ambergris Caye. To address the situation, Perez said they have acquired 250 loads of hardcore material to make urgent repairs and restore access to affected areas. This is a short-term strategy, while a long-term solution is in the works.
The meeting was held at the Matachica Resort north of San Pedro, where some stakeholders pointed out the challenges their businesses face due to the road’s conditions. Some pointers included the high vehicle maintenance costs, customers (tourists) starting to notice and discuss the deteriorated streets, and the heavy traffic of large trucks. Another concern was the access to emergency vehicles in these northern neighborhoods. The stakeholders in attendance pledged to collaborate, but they would like the government to assist as well.
Perez heard the concerns and said that by Christmas time and with the aid of the 250 loads of material, most road issues should be temporarily solved. “The plan is to move up north and start paving,” Perez said. He noted that the government will complete the paperwork to access $300 million from the Interamerican Development Bank for a project to develop north Ambergris Caye next year. This plan includes new roads with proper drainage, sewage, electricity, and other essential upgrades as the municipality continues to expand.
Perez also touched on the issue of the large trucks, which are blamed for the deterioration of the roads. He said these will stop running for the holidays starting December 15th until after New Year’s. Perez also noted that, along with the San Pedro Town Council, they will implement a barging system for these large trucks by April 2025. When this is in place, these sand/dump trucks will not traverse through the downtown area and instead will be barged to a landing site currently being built in northern Ambergris Caye.
Before the meeting wrapped up, upgrades were also mentioned for the southern unpaved roads. Perez added that the Mosquito Coast and southward areas will also see repairs and other significant road improvements.