MIDH Orders Removal of Highway Signs and Memorials

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing (MIDH) is advising the public that roadside signs and memorials located along sections of the George Price Highway between Belize City and Hattieville will have to be removed as major rehabilitation works continue along the corridor.  In a public notice issued this week, MIDH explained that the removals are necessary to facilitate ongoing works under the George Price Highway Upgrading Project. According to officials, all business signs, crosses, and other commemorative memorials situated within the highway road reserve must be removed by June 12 in order to allow construction activities to proceed safely and without obstruction.  Chief Engineer Evondale Moody explained the need for this exercise, explaining that down the road, the replacement or reinstallation of these signs will be done under a regulated system. 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH: “The contractor is now working between Western Avenue and Fabers Road and he’s working on the section of the highway between Miles 4 and 5 by Old Belize and he also has a third front where he’s working between Miles 8 and 10 near the power boats. All three areas we have identified that there are signs that are within the official road reserve, and they may be these memorials there as well, and we thought it was important for us to address this matter on this section since we need to ensure that the contractor has a clear path and a clear road reserve to implement the works since it falls under the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing. And so we anticipate that these signs would be removed within the next 30 days and if that is not done then we will have to have to contract it to assist us in the removal of these signs and crosses that are along the highway to ensure that he has a clear path to work his project. Yes, these were just placed haphazardly by family members and in the past. We have not done anything to restrict them from doing so. The business signs, some of them have received permission but we have others that did not receive permission as well. And so because we’re doing these upgrading works now, where we’re widening the highway and they will be within the scope of work we’re kindly asking these individuals and businesses to come in and remove them so that we don’t damage them. And so we’re giving them ample time to do that. What we want to do, we want to ensure that we have some kind of mechanism in place that individuals could apply for this to be done. We understand the concern that they have when these accidents occur and individuals die at these locations and so we don’t want to restrict that from happening but we want to make sure that it is done in an orderly and professional manner.”

Officials are encouraging full public cooperation and say additional information can be obtained through the Project Execution Unit at the MIDH./