Update On the Road North

Away from San Pedro town, Ambergris Caye has one main road that runs north to south. Just a few years ago, much of it was just a path – one that turned to mud in the rainy season.

Yesterday’s “Easter Winds” had the reef roaring and the water churned up. Windy again today.

In 2014, the paving began – and when completed, it stretched from the bridge to Mile 4 north – stopping at Belizean Shores Resort. It was announced soon after that additional paving would commence – but I’m not sure what happened. Phase Two never started.

As part of that initial process – the road was filled and graded – so that it was vastly improved but still prone to wear and tear from traffic and especially rains.

After about 6 months it becomes rutted with holes – especially from all the huge trucks running up and down from the quarry at 10 miles north. The last smoothing was end of March/beginning of April 2018.

My usual trip to town (from 7 miles north) was taking about 50 minutes. 7 miles!

So I am BEYOND excited to see that repair work has started again. It started about a week ago…and has made its way down from NORTH.

Currently at about 5 miles north – around Mata Chica Resort and Rojo Lounge and heading south at about 1/2 – 3/4 miles a day.

It’s like Christmas in February.

And I’ll add my 2 cents because…well…that’s what I do.

This really needs to be done twice a year. The last 5 or 6 months have been rough on everyone – tourists driving to Secret Beach or to resorts north and to residents up my way.

But mostly it SHOULD be organized by those who own the quarry at 9-10 miles north. The giant dump trucks that run back and forth all day – up to 10 of them I’ve estimated – cause the bulk of the damage to the road.

They also have access to the materials to fill the road and heavy machinery to fix it. Not only will it be great for the area – to fix what you have damaged- but also, I imagine, it will help them run more loads, cause less damage to their trucks and make them more money.

Win Win win. Hurray!

I posted it all on Facebook in the beginning of Nov 2018 if you’d like to see my whole rant:

“Preface: In no way do I think a good road is some sort of god given right…and I chose to live 7 miles north of San Pedro town. My choice.

But here’s the thing…earlier this year…maybe March…the road from about 3.5 miles to 10 miles was filled and graded. It was in great shape. The MAJOR and heaviest users of the road north are the HUGE trucks that run back and forth all day from the quarry. A large dump truck weighs 8-12 tons empty. A golf cart weighs less than 1k. Just yesterday we passed 5 trucks on our drive north. Their numbers have multiplied this year.

It is easy to see that they do most of the heavy damage to the road – particularly after the rains.

Luckily…ironically…they also carry the marl and fill to repair the road. And I would speculate that selling fill to the island – the only quarry here that does it – is a lucrative business.

So while we have a neighbor working hard to raise the $8K to get our road filled and graded (he’s unable to do it so far)…I don’t think it is too much to ask that the quarry and quarry owners supply AT THE VERY LEAST the materials to get the job done.

And if we are being totally fair, they would just do the job themselves since they have access to heavy machinery, trucks and are, again, the major users of the road. This road is a crucial part of their business.

Hopefully this is something that is being discussed for the upcoming season…it would make EVERYONE’s ride so much easier…including the guys who drive back and forth all day long…and lesson all of our vehicle repair bills. Golf carts, in particular, aren’t meant for this!”

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