2.3 Belize Road Network
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.
2.3.1 Belize Benque Viejo Border Crossing
Overview
The Border Management Agency is the responsible administrative entity for the management of Belize’s border complex, including immigration, police, customs, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and Free Zone areas. Major border movement to Guatemala is related to crossing of pedestrians. The Free Zone area is active but less frequented than at the northern entrance points to Mexico. Administration of the Free Zone is under shared responsibility of a Belizean private group and governmental agencies.
|
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
|---|---|
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Belize: Benque Viejo del Carmen |
|
Province or District |
Cayo District |
|
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Benque Viejo del Carmen (1 km) |
|
Latitude |
17.05777778 |
|
Longitude |
-89.15500000 |
|
Managing Authority / Agency |
Border Management Agency |
|
Contact Person |
Mr Rolando Leon |
|
Travel Times |
|
|---|---|
|
Nearest National Airfield |
Maya Flats (3 km) Truck Travel Time: 10 minutes Car Travel time: 10 minutes |
|
Nearest Port |
Belize City (112 km) Truck Travel Time: 3 hours Car Travel time: 3 hours |
|
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Spanish Lockout (30 km) Truck Travel Time: 30 minutes Car Travel time: 30 minutes |
|
Other Information
|
Road from Belmopan (main city of Belize) is in good condition, with fuel stations in Benque Viejo. The free zone area to Guatemala is very active in terms of commerce. Storage capacity of approx. 923 m2 (10,000 ft.2) is available in the Free Zone area for exports to Guatemala. |
|
Hours of Operation |
|
|---|---|
|
Mondays |
24 hours |
|
Tuesdays |
24 hours |
|
Wednesdays |
24 hours |
|
Thursdays |
24 hours |
|
Fridays |
24 hours |
|
Saturdays |
24 hours |
|
Sundays |
24 hours |
The opening hours of customs offices are from Monday to Friday 8:00 to 17:00.
Daily Capacity
Customs capacities to deal with cars is limited and becomes critical from 30 cars/hour due to the small border crossing. Trucks are not affected since they use different routes. The entrance to free zones involves different procedures which makes it is less vulnerable to traffic issues.
Customs Clearance
Trucks are charged with a parking fee per day. The price is relative to the size of the vehicle and starts from USD$ 30, which is the only additional charge raised by the border authority. Import duties are relative to the value of the goods imported. All importation paperwork can be done and clearance can be obtained within one day at the customs offices at the border. All vehicles are inspected before getting customs clearance.
For more information on customs in Belize, please see the following link: 1.3 Belize Customs Information.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Belize Government Contact List.
2.3.2 Belize Santa Elena Border Crossing
Overview
The Border Management Agency is the responsible administrative entity for the management of Belize’s border complex, including immigration, police, customs, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and free zone areas. Mayor border movement to Mexico is related to crossing of pedestrians. The Free Zone is active and more frequented than the one located at the western entrance point to Guatemala. Administration of the Free Zone is under shared responsibility of a Belizean private group and governmental agencies.
|
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
|---|---|
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Belize: Santa Elena |
|
Province or District |
Corozal District |
|
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Corozal (10 km) |
|
Latitude |
18.48555556 |
|
Longitude |
-88.39916667 |
|
Managing Authority / Agency |
Border Management Agency |
|
Contact Person |
Misses Naivi Campos |
|
Travel Times |
|
|---|---|
|
Nearest National Airfield |
Aeropuerto Corozal (Ranchito) (13 km) Truck Travel Time: 18 minutes Car Travel time: 18 minutes |
|
Nearest Port |
Belize City (120 km) Truck Travel Time: 3 ¼ hours Car Travel time: 3 ¼ hours |
|
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Orange Walk (50 km) Truck Travel Time: 1hour Car Travel time: 1 hour |
|
Other Information
|
Road in good condition from Belmopan (main city of Belize), with fuel stations in Corozal and Santa Elena. The Free Zone area to Mexico is very active in terms of commerce. Storage capacity of approx. 2,322 m2 (25,000 ft.2) in the Free Zone area is available for exports to Mexico. |
|
Hours of Operation |
|
|---|---|
|
Mondays |
24 hours |
|
Tuesdays |
24 hours |
|
Wednesdays |
24 hours |
|
Thursdays |
24 hours |
|
Fridays |
24 hours |
|
Saturdays |
24 hours |
|
Sundays |
24 hours |
Opening hours of customs offices are from Monday to Friday 8:00 to 17:00.
Daily Capacity
Due to the existing free zone, there is a lot a traffic during the weekends from people coming more from the Mexican side. Most of these people stay during the weekend. Belizeans are excluded from the free zone but have a separate entrance where they do not affect the normal transit to customs facilities and border offices.
Customs Clearance
Trucks are charged with a parking fee per day. The price is relative to the size of the vehicle and starts from USD 30, which is the only additional charge made by the border authority. Importation duties are relative to the value of the goods imported. All importation paperwork can be done and clearance can be obtained within one day at the customs offices at the border. All vehicles are inspected before getting customs clearance.
For more information on customs in Belize, please see the following link: 1.3 Belize Customs Information.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Belize Government Contact List.