from a friend...

I think the Southern Highway (except for the 9-mile unpaved portion
that Cisco is now supposed to pave) is the best road in Belize and
among the best in Central America.

response from another friend

The southern is O.K. but below standard of most new highways in Guate
or El Salvador - worse, it is degrading as no maintenance is being
done.

As it was done with the old-style tar poured over crushed gravel it is
not holding out. Many patches are worn out and slick in the rain.

I have no idea why they are still using the old method to build new
highways - unless commissions for the pols are better to hide in the
books this way.

response:
The equipment has only been in-country since March 2006, that is only 21 months and a whole runway has already been paved.

Paving The Way To Belize's Future...
posted (March 7, 2006)

It's a 30 million dollar project which will take the Phillip Goldson Airport to truly an international standard. Work on the ex[am[amsopm project started last tear and construction should conclude by the end of this year. It's a project like no other and will introduce Belize to technology not seen before. Today Keith Swift was at the project to find out how the technology used here it can also change the roads you drive on.

response

I have to disagree with you about the Southern Highway. The Southern
Highway isn't up to U.S. interstate or major high-traffic highway
standards, right, but for the volume of traffic (literally a few
hundred vehicles a day, usually) it's a damn good road, and personally
I've not noticed any deterioration or slick spots.

I've only been on a few roads in Guatemala and only the road from the
international airport to San Salvador in El Salvador, but I will say
that the richest country in Central America, Costa Rica, has mostly
[#%!]-poor roads (even though the Southern Highway was paved by a Tico
company), Nicaragua's and Honduras' generally are awful, and the
secondary roads in Panama, while generally very good, aren't any
better than the Southern Highway.

Last trip I went south as far as the Mayan site of Nim Li Punit (about 5-10 miles after the road isn't paved) and the road was awesome. Really good shape.

Southern Highway at last!
Friday, 14 December 2007, The Reporter, By Albert Ciego - Staff Reporter

An official signing was carried out at the Prime Minister’s Office in Belmopan for the completion of the Southern Highway, from the Southern End of the Golden Stream Bridge to Big Falls Village.

An official signing was carried out at the Prime Minister’s Office in Belmopan for the completion of the Southern Highway, from the Southern End of the Golden Stream Bridge to Big Falls Village.

The earthworks include drainage and embankments and double surface dressing on the running surface. The project is to be completed in eighteen months for a total of sixteen million dollars.

John Woods of Cisco Construction Company Limited signed on behalf of the construction company.

The nine miles to complete pavement of the highway is being funded by the Government of Belize, The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

The Southern Highway project has been a feature of the last four budgets, included with the Placentia Seine Bight Road, the Red Bank Road, the Georgetown/Maya Mopan Road and the Hopkins Road.

The Reporter has been reliably informed that the funding to construct and complete all these roads, including the Southern Highway were acquired in 1998.

But no actual construction has been started.

Carlos Perdomo, a former Permanent Secretary with the Government of Belize, stated that the completion of the Southern Highway was budgeted for and promised to the people in 2003.

Melvin Hulse, former Minister of Works, recalls that Woods had been awarded the contract but he was expected to fund the project through massive bank loans and the government of Belize would reimburse him over a 20-year period.

Woods strongly denies this arrangement, and has stated that this was a straight contract with no strings attached to it. He said that he was happy to be awarded this completion contract since he has already done forty miles of the Southern Highway.

If you're in the unpaved area to see the Mayan sites be sure to stop by Coleman's Cafe, just south of the unpaved section, and say hello to their pet parrot Jerry.

We had a great lunch there and the owners were absolutely wonderful.