Since early March, commuters and commercial drivers crossing two critical river crossings in Belize’s Belize River Valley — the Sebastian and Bermuda Landing bridges — have faced persistent single-lane traffic restrictions. Frustration has mounted among local villagers and regular users over the glacial pace of construction, with growing calls for the government to explain project delays and outline a clear completion timeline.
In an official interview with local outlet News 5, Evondale Moody, chief engineer for Belize’s Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MIDH), addressed public concerns, confirming that while the rehabilitation project remains on its pre-approved schedule, completion remains more than a year away. The two aging structures, which were originally designed as paired parallel bridges to accommodate separate one-way traffic lanes, have not received major upkeep for decades, making full rehabilitation a complex, time-intensive process.
To minimize full closures and maintain continuous access for local communities, MIDH mandated the contracted construction team to work on one parallel span at a time. That means one half of each bridge has been fully removed from service to allow for critical structural work, including full sandblasting to remove corrosion and aged material, followed by targeted structural repairs and resurfacing. Before any completed span can be reopened to traffic, Moody explained, every component of the renovated section must be fully stripped of damaged material and rebuilt to meet modern safety standards.
The 18-month project launched in March 2026, leaving roughly 14 months of work remaining as of mid-July. Beyond structural rehabilitation of the two bridges, the project also adds critical riverbank erosion protection measures — an upgrade prompted by severe flooding in 2025 that eroded the earthen approach to the Sebastian Bridge, forcing an emergency full closure that disrupted travel for weeks.
MIDH has deployed on-site community liaisons to keep nearby village residents updated on project milestones and scope, and the local area representative for the region has also been briefed on all work plans. Moody reiterated that the ministry is committed to delivering long-lasting, safe bridge infrastructure, and is working as efficiently as possible given the budget and resources allocated to the project. He urged local residents to continue bearing with the ongoing traffic disruptions as crews work to complete the critical upgrades.