As residents may have noticed, currently under way in the City of Belmopan is a Traffic Enhancement Safety Project which involves the marking and signage of several junctions within Belmopan that links with the Constitution Drive. The project started late last year but was placed on hold due to the recent rains. Well those works have started up back and many may have noticed the men working within the City of Belmopan. Plus news spoke with Ernest Raymond who is the project coordinator for the Belize Municipal Development Project.

Ernest Raymond, Project Coordinator
The project that is ongoing right now in Belmopan is part of an Infrastructure Improvement Program and specifically a Road Safety Enhancement Project. It is considered to be a pilot because whatever the outcome of this pilot, will be applied to the remaining street enchantment and street rehabilitation programs in the remaining municipalities expect for San Pedro and Belize City. Essentially the project attempts to make use of that section in the road in Belmopan more user friendly with appropriate signage and street marking. One additional improvement of the project here in Belmopan is the setting of a pedestrian ramp near to the hospital off on the North Ring Road. The project started in September of last year, but due to weather conditions and as well as the availability of the appropriate paint type, we are just about completing it now. I am certain that users of the road will find it much easier entering Belmopan by way of Forest Drive - the official entrance of Belmopan, as well as observing whatever markings are there on the road.

It is a most welcomed project, but when the project started back in September of last year, the paint that was being applied to the pavement had started to fade within days. We asked Lionel Jimenez about the quality of the paint. Jimenez is the project engineer for the Belize Municipal Development Project.

Lionel Jimenez, Project Engineer
In the beginning we started with an oil based stripping paint which we noticed did not function properly. Therefore, we went to another option, looking at the rubber alkaline stripping paint, which has been used and has been proven to last longer. The most recommendable practice in the UK is to use the thermo-plastic paint. It is mostly expensive and technologically, it is challenging for our local contractors, but it is something that we will reach pretty shortly. The second best is this type of paint which we are applying and it lasts more than the traditional oil based and water based paint.

Jesse Mendoza, PlusTV Journalist
How much longer are we talking about?

Lionel Jimenez
The traditional oil and water based paints would last somewhere around three months, when properly applied to properly prepared surfaces. The rubber alkaline paint should last double that time; we are talking about a six month period, but off course, periodical mantainance should be given to these markings.

The project is being finance by a loan from the World Bank and will be completed by the end of this month.

PlusTV