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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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North Ambergris Roads up for Repair

Visitors and island residents who use the road north of the Boca del Rio bridge to visit the beautiful locales in the area enjoy the natural vistas and serene atmosphere of north Ambergris, but have a really hard time with the poor conditions of the unkempt road. Along the path, there are many large potholes, bumps, and clumps of brush, which make it particularly rough on the bicycle and golf car riders, and the road needs to be repaired for the benefit of tourists and island residents.

At a recent meeting, Mayoress Paz informed residents that the Town Council will initiate repair works on the road north of Boca del Rio. Initial plans from the Town Council was to send the Grader crew to smooth out the road and take care of the severe potholes and bumps, but this plan was scraped when the Council found out that the Grader would be unsuitable for the job.

"The Council sent its foreman to check out the situation with the road," Mayoress Elsa Paz told Ambergris Today this Tuesday. "The foreman told us that the Grader would be unsuitable for the repair works, so we have to use alternate machinery for the repairs and maintenance of the road."

The Mayor's decision will surely please some residents of the area since, according to information coming from the North Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch (NACNW), many of its members objected to the plan of using the Council's Grader for repair and maintenance of the road. In a letter addressed to the NACWW President, Vice-President Pat Stiley states several reasons for the Grader not to be used, which include the Council's promise to allow "no vehicles larger than a golf cart" across the new bridge; encouraging heavy equipment along the road will start a "slippery slope" for others to follow; grading the path would eliminate all hard crust, high spots necessary to maneuver around potholes and turn the entire road into a swamp when the rains come; no northern resident/business owner was encountered who favored the use of the grader; and they unanimously favored local fill and maintenance.

Considering this information and the fact that the road will get to an abysmal shape during the rainy season, Mayoress Paz and the Town Council made a decision to use other alternatives for repair and maintenance of the road. "We have plans to start work before the onset of the rainy season," Mayoress Elsa Paz told Ambergris Today. "The Council will use the dump truck and backhoe to carry out the works, and the workers will be using hardcore gravel and sand to fill the many potholes and even up the bumps on the road."

As for the NACNW suggestion to use local fill and maintenance equipment, the Mayor of San Pedro had this to say: "The Council will be conducting the works on the road as it falls under the Council's jurisdiction. In such a case, the Council welcomes suggestions, but does not need approval from anybody to conduct such road repairs."

It is to be noted that most roads in Belize are public. Every Belizean has the right to access public roads here on Ambergris Caye, no matter where they are located. And it is the duty of our local government officials to provide good roads and maintenance for the benefit of every visitor and resident of the island. If done properly, it only enhances the benefits for our visitors and local populace.

Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 97
H
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H
We stayed North last October and the road sure was a mess after all of the rain we had. Any work that is done to the road would be great. It was no fun pushing out the golf when it got stuck in the big pot holes.

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,733
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"And it is the duty of our local government officials to provide good roads and maintenance for the benefit of every visitor and resident of the island. If done properly, it only enhances the benefits for our visitors and local populace."

I would have to say that our local government is not very "dutyful". But I guess the phrase "if done properly" pretty well sums it up. frown

And a more accurate statement describing the roads would start out by saying "when not done properly".

Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 115
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We took a little excursion north of the cut early last November. This was during a very hard rain. The roads kept getting smaller and the puddles (river) bigger and bigger. I'm glad to hear that they are putting forth the effort to try to "fix" the problem!

Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,267
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From a practical point of view ..........
If you have your beach-raker raking seagrass you eventually wonder what to do with all that stuff - answer? Put it on the road - it packs down in a day (no it does not get your tires stuck) and it breaks down eventually into a solid sandy substance. Be sure to remove the plastic and bottles before you dump the seagrass and you will find you have a lovely, smooth road that looks nice and holds together through the rainy season just fine.
We'be been doing this since we put in a road 3 years ago and it works really well. Much less brain damage than bugging the town board, and more effective than any grader.

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,479
S
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S
The AWD dump truck that's driving around up north should REALLY help out with the roads. mad

Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,267
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Hi Simon - what is AWD?

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,018
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"All Wheel Drive"


I'm happier than a pig in s__t...a foot on the sand...and a Belikin in my hand!
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 246
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N
Diane

Now that is an interesting piece of advice because one would have expected the grass to turn into a nasty mush.

Persumably it is better to put it down when the potholes are dry rather than full of water?

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,479
S
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S
Correct, and we're not talking about a pickup here, it's a full sized dump truck.

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