Floodwaters continue to affect the commute across southern and central Belize tonight, forcing closures, detours and a lot of patience on the road. The Coastal Plain Highway is still under water and off-limits for now, though officials say it could reopen later this evening. Meanwhile, Mile 7 on the Hummingbird Highway is back in use after earlier disruptions. Even where roads remain open, the drive is far from routine. Authorities are urging motorists to slow down and stay alert, especially along the Mountain View access road, the Canada Hill Junction in Hope Creek, and near the Kendal Bridge on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway. So, how bad are conditions really, and what should drivers expect heading into the night? We spoke with Chief Engineer Evondale Moody, who’s been monitoring the situation closely. Here’s his latest update on the flood-hit road network.
Evondale Moody
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH
“I understand that there is also flooding between mile 3 and four on the Hummingbird Highway in Sarawee Village. That water is being monitored because it is increasing as the day goes by. We are trying to monitor all those areas. We also had intense flooding near mile sixteen on the Coastal Plain Highway which is near the Soldier Creek Bridge. That are has shown some erosion that occurred on the pavement itself. We had done some work their about two years ago where in that vicinity we had the same thing occurred and due to the intensity and amount of rainfall we had over the last twenty-four hours, that exceeded the rainfall we had at that time. When we did those repairs two years ago, we raised the elevation of the bridge going into Soldier Creek and we also concreted that area. The original area that was now scoured was a hundred and fifty meters so with did an additional fifty meters to that pavement and so that area is concrete and the area that has now scoured is beyond that two hundred meters. So it seems that from our investigation, the intensity has definitely increased and the amount of what that passed through that area was even more intense than what passed through two years ago.”
Motorists are advised to not attempt to drive through flooded roadways.
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