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Plans to Construct a New Bridge in San Pedro Town

Mayor Nunez says that it would cost the council six hundred thousand dollars to repair the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge. That is money the council does not have and the revenues collected from the toll will be placed in a separate account and used solely for its maintenance. The long-term plan is to construct a new bridge linking the north and south sides of San Pedro Town.

Gualberto "Wally" Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro

"There is a lot of repairs that has to be done, in excess of six hundred thousand dollars just to repair. And with that, we have decided that we have to construct a new bridge. We are looking at financing for the new bridge as well. The new bridge would be on an angle, right next to this one, to the existing bridge. But in all honesty, there was a lot of money that was collected in the past for the bridge that it was actually more than what we were going to be charging. We were averaging it out and it would have been way less than what they were charging at the bridge. So just seeing the numbers, we know that they collected millions of dollars throughout the years on that bridge. Where did that money go to? What did they do? Why they didn't repair or build a new bridge? That's the reason why we have to charge for the bridge and we are trying to do it with the less impact."

Channel 5

Can we please have a report showing the history of the permits, authorized authorities, fees paid, applicants names, who owns the property that is being dug up, who owns the property being filled and how long this is going to take to complete; basically - well you understand my curiosity.

New bridge for Boca del Rio is a go!

In August of this year, Area Representative, Honourable Andre Perez said that funds had been secured to build a new bridge next to the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge at Boca del Rio. That announcement is now about to materialize as on Wednesday, December 22nd, surveyors were on the ground assessing the site for the new structure. Meanwhile, the piles (long concrete poles) for the bridge's foundation have been delivered, and according to reports from the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) it is a matter of time before construction begins.

The new bridge will address the traffic flow demand heading into and from the northern part of Ambergris Caye, targeting large, heavy vehicles. While a new and stronger bridge is needed, some people question the route leading to the new structure. Motorists will need to make a slight left turn, passing almost in front of a local church in the immediate area. Others have questioned the width of the driveway accessing the bridge that big cargo trucks will use. Mayor Gualberto 'Wally' Nuñez disregarded any possible complications and added that the accessibility to the new bridge should not interfere with the church's operations. According to him, the driveway leading to the new bridge is on public property. Nuñez anticipates work to start by next week, before the end of the year.

Click here to read the rest of the article in the San Pedro Sun

Mayor Wally Nunez and the San Pedro Town Council announce this morning that works have commenced on the the new bridge at Boca Del Rio.

Residents are asked to exercise caution around this area.

Here's an article on the new bridge with lots of photos by San Pedro Scoop:
San Pedro Begins Construction on New Bridge - Let's Call It Bridge #2

Here are some photos of the work in progress....

San Pedro's Bridge: A Construction Update



The San Pedro Town Council announced at the end of December 2021 that construction would begin on a new bridge. Just south of the old one. It would be completed - and opened - and demolition and then reconstruction would start on the old bridge. Confusing. But the end situation? There would be two side by side stronger new bridges that could manage this traffic.

So…1.5 months later…where are we? Quite a bit has been done. I was expecting a higher wider bridge but it looks just about the same to me… the bridge construction is still happening. It's going strong.

Click here to read the rest of the article in the San Pedro Scoop

Mayor says height of bridge extension not to affect passage of boats below

Work adding an extension to the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge at Boca del Rio continues. Once this is complete, the original bridge will be dismantled and rebuilt, turning it into a two-lane concrete structure. The bridge will not only be stronger, but according to Mayor Gualberto 'Wally' Nuñez, it will maintain a reasonable clearance allowing for the passage of large boats below. A couple of tour companies that use the route underneath the bridge to access the lagoon became concerned with the height of the new structure and wondered if the bridge should be at least a foot taller to accommodate bigger boats. Mayor Nuñez said that when they place the beams, the bridge will have the same height as the old bridge, and it should not cause any inconveniences.

Nuñez added that they could not build a taller bridge. "If we make it higher, the landing would need to be longer, and there is no space for that," said Nuñez. The cost of the bridge will be around $2 million, which is financed via a loan the San Pedro Town Council has secured. The Mayor briefly said that his team is working to establish a $20 million bond for other projects like paving streets. The $2 million loan for the bridge would be included in this bond.

Click here to read the rest of the article in the San Pedro Sun

A morning view of the new bridge…