The Coastal Highway is a major

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

in eastern

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

. It runs from the

George Price Highway The George Price Highway is one of four main highways in Belize. It originates in Belize City, runs west through Hattieville, the Belize Zoo, the capital city of Belmopan (northern outskirts), San Ignacio, San José Succotz (across the river ...

in La Democracia,

Belize District Belize is a district of the nation of Belize. Its capital is Belize City. Geography Most of the Belize District is in the east central mainland of Belize; the Belize District also includes various offshore islands, including Ambergris Caye ...

south to the

Hummingbird Highway The Hummingbird Highway is one of the four major highways in Belize. It connects the George Price Highway outside of Belmopan, Cayo District to the Southern Highway outside of Dangriga, Stann Creek District. It partially follows, and sometimes us ...

in Hope Creek,

Stann Creek District Stann Creek is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2022 census, the district had a population of 48,162 people. Its capital is the town of Dangriga, formerly known as "Stann Creek Town." Stann comes from "stanns," or s ...

. This is a distance of . As of September 23, 2020, the highway's official name is the Manuel Esquivel Highway, named for Sir Manuel Amadeo Esquivel, the former

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of Belize and leader of the United Democratic Party. Locally, it is also known as the Shortcut, as the Coastal Highway shortens the route from

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

Dangriga Dangriga, formerly known as Stann Creek Town, is a town in southern Belize, located on the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean coast at the mouth of the North Stann Creek River. It is the capital of Belize's Stann Creek District. Dangriga is served by the ...

by , and was largely utilized by large trucks avoiding the extra distance on the

and

via

Belmopan Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. Belmopan is the smallest capital city in the continental Americas (by population) and the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and San Ignacio. Fou ...

. Before being renamed, the highway was known as the Manatee Highway, named for the Manatee Forest Reserve that lies to the west of the road.

Route description

The Coastal Highway begins at a junction with the George Price Highway in La Democracia. It then runs southeast through remote and lightly-populated rural areas, before turning east to round Sugar Valley Hill. After the hill, the highway turns south to serve the villages of Mullins River and Gale Point before terminating at a roundabout with the Hummingbird Highway in Hope Creek. This roundabout was constructed as part of the 2016-2023 Coastal Highway project. For its entire length, the Coastal Highway is paved with asphalt and features -wide paved shoulders, with an additional unpaved margin. The speed limit ranges from as high as in wide open areas, to on tighter curves, which also feature guardrails. At major intersections and near settlements, advanced

rumble strip Rumble strips (also known as sleeper lines or alert strips) are a traffic calming feature to alert inattentive drivers of potential danger, by causing a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through a vehicle's wheels into its inte ...

s and

speed bump Speed bumps (also called traffic thresholds, speed breakers or sleeping policemen) are a class of traffic calming devices that use vertical deflection to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions. Variations include the s ...

s accompany a reduction in speed to or less. Mile markers are posted every mile, increasing from La Democracia to Hope Creek.

History

The Coastal Highway's surface was originally constructed from gravel or dirt and frequently washed out during the rainy season. Some bridges were constructed from wood and were wide enough to allow only one vehicle at a time. Starting in 2016, the government of Belize developed a plan to upgrade the road to a bituminous surface. The

Caribbean Development Bank The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is a development bank that helps Caribbean countries finance social and economic programs in its member countries through loans, grants, and technical assistance. The CDB was established by an Agreement signed ...

provided a BZ$73.2 million (US$36.6 million) loan, while the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund granted BZ$68 million (US$34 million). The Government of Belize provided BZ$17.2 million (US$8.6 million). The total cost of the project was BZ$158.4 million (US$79.2 million). Six new bridges were built, with four additional bridges rehabilitated. Politecnica, an engineering firm based in Modena, Italy provided technical designs in 2018-2019 for the project. Contracts for the construction were awarded to Imer Hernandez Development Company Limited, and construction began on February 24, 2020. The project was completed in 2024.

References

{{Roads in Belize Roads in Belize Belize District Stann Creek District