Corozal Free Zone Road Rehabilitation Breaks Ground

Today saw the ground-breaking for the rehabilitation of the Santa Elena Access Road to the Corozal Free Zone. The government of Belize, through funding from the Central American Bank for Economic Development Integration (CABEI), launched a project to upgrade of 1.6 kilometres of the road. Each year, more than one million persons have crossed into the free zone; an entity that employs over three thousand Belizeans. At the ceremony today in the north, Prime Minister John Briceno noted that the project will not only boost business in the zone, but will increase employment opportunities. 

Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Economic Development, Dr. Osmond Martinez, says that upon taking office the government drafted a plan to aid in the zone’s recovery after it was brought to its knees by the COVID-19 pandemic.         

The project will be funded through a non-refundable grant of 1.9 million dollars from CABEI, and one million dollars from the government. Minister of Enterprise, Jose Abelardo Mai, highlighted the work that has gone into the zone’s revival and the projected impact. 

The initiative is expected to boost traffic in the zone, as it is expected to cut-down the travel time for Mexican visitors.  Construction will begin in a few months and will be undertaken by RBG construction.