2.3 Belize Road Network | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments

Belize Roads

The road network in Belize consists of 3,281 km of which approximately 601 km are paved and 2680 km are unpaved.

The following roads constitute the four main road networks. They consist of asphalt-paved two-lane roads. Due to continuous maintenance they are in good condition for transportation:

- Philip Goldson Highway (formerly Northern Highway), between Belize City and the Mexican border north of Corozal, about 95 miles or 153 km (Referred in the map as “N”)

- George Price Highway (formerly Western Highway), between Belize City and the Guatemalan border near Benque Viejo del Carmen, about 81 miles or 130 km(Referred in the map as “W”)

- Hummingbird Highway, from Belmopan to Dangriga, about 55 mile or 89 km (Referred in the map as “H”)

- Southern Highway, from Dangriga to Punta Gorda (Referred in the map as “S”), 157.3 km

Most maps also include the Old Northern Highway, which provides access to the Altun Ha ruins. This single-lane road is partly paved, but deteriorates dramatically just north of the access road to the ruins.

The Coastal Highway, also known as the Manatee Highway or the Shortcut, connects the Western Highway (48 km west of Belize City) with the Stann Creek Valley near Dangriga. This highway is all gravel and may wash out during heavy rains.

The Ministry of Public Works is responsible for planning, construction and maintenance of the country’s roads and bridges, as well as some roads, drains and waterways in cities. There are serious shortfalls in the resources to meet the repair demand of the highways, with nearly all streets having areas of disrepair. Road infrastructure is financed by the national government, as well as by grants and loans from bilateral and multilateral sources, all implemented by the Ministry of Public Works.

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Belize Government Contact List.

Distance Matrix

Distances from Capital City to Major Towns (km)
	Belmopan	Belize City	San Ignacio	Benque Viejo	Corozal	Santa Elena	Dangriga	Punta Gorda
Belmopan		88	118	130	228	238	89	246
Belize City	88		118	218	153	163	177	334
San Ignacio	118	206		12	359	369	207	364
Benque Viejo	130	218	12		358	368	219	376
Corozal	228	153	359	371		10	317	474
Santa Elena	238	163	356	368	10		327	484
Dangriga	89	177	207	219	317	327		335
Punta Gorda	246	334	364	376	474	484	335

*Travel Time from Capital City to Major Towns (hours’ minutes”***)
	Belmopan	Belize City	San Ignacio	Benque Viejo	Corozal	Santa Elena	Dangriga	Punta Gorda
Belmopan		1’25”	1’55”	2’10”	3’25”	3’35”	1’25”	3’50”
Belize City	1’25”		2’55”	2’10”	2’18”	2’32”	2’52”	4’35”
San Ignacio	1’55”	2’55”		17”	5’12”	5’08”	2’55”	5”20”
Benque Viejo	2’10”	3’02”	17”		5’30”	5’25”	“3’12”	5’37”
Corozal	3’25”	2’18”	5’12”	5’30”		14”	4’32”	6’55”
Santa Elena	3’35”	2’32”	5,08”	5’25”	14”		4’32”	7’15”
Dangriga	1’25”	2’52”	2’55”	3’12	4’32”	4’42”		4’51”
Punta Gorda	3’50”	4’35”	‘5’20”	5’37”	6’55”	7’15”	4”51”

Road Security

There is very little control on the roads by the police or the state authorities. Traffic signals and speed limits are not much respected. While in villages and along roads, presence of public authorities is weak, the frequency of controls increases close to large cities. Frequent accidents include frontal accidents on the highway between Belize City and Belmopan.

On overland transports, weight indication for trucks is not specified. Equally, bridges are not marked with the maximum weight or the number of axes allowed and technical Management is not available.