Even as persistent heavy rainfall drenched much of Belize over a full week, the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure has confirmed that work on dozens of critical national infrastructure projects has continued with only minimal disruptions to overall timelines. While wet conditions have forced minor slowdowns for specific tasks — most notably concrete pouring, which cannot safely be completed during steady rain — project contractors have rapidly adjusted work schedules to keep overall progress moving forward, according to top ministry officials.
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer at the Ministry of Infrastructure, shared a detailed update on ongoing projects during a recent public briefing, highlighting that uncooperative weather has not derailed long-term planning for the nation’s infrastructure upgrades. “We have several projects currently ongoing by the ministry in an effort to improve our infrastructure countrywide,” Moody explained. “And yes, we have been having rainfall consistently since last weekend. In terms of its impact on these projects, we have had some minimal impact. It hasn’t been that significant because the works are currently ongoing, to be honest.”
Moody noted that the only tangible impacts of the rain are limited to routine site maintenance and weather-dependent tasks, where saturated ground and persistent precipitation reduce the amount of work crews can complete each day. Even so, adjustments to daily work rotations and a focus on non-outdoor tasks during periods of heavy rain have kept most projects close to their original schedules.
One of the most high-profile initiatives highlighted in the update is the dual bridge replacement project in Belize City, a long-awaited infrastructure upgrade that will replace aging, structurally deficient spans serving the country’s largest urban center. According to Moody, demolition work for the two existing bridges is still on track to begin before the end of 2026, with construction of the new replacement bridges set to start early in 2027. “We anticipate, based on our work program, that both bridges will commence their demolition no later than this December first,” Moody said. “So that those works could continue into the new year with the construction of the replacement of both bridges.”
He added that even for the Belize City bridge project, the impact of the recent rain has been almost negligible, thanks to the type of pre-demolition preparation work that crews are currently completing. “We have had minimal effect in respect to the rainfall because it’s a different type of work that they’re doing. Only that they cannot pour concrete during the rain, and so that’s where we’ve had some, some little delays there. But other than that, other works could still continue on those two structures,” Moody explained.
This report is a transcribed excerpt from an evening television newscast, with all non-standard language rendered using a standardized spelling system for accessibility.