Haulover Bridge

The aim of the consultancy was to assist the Belize Ministry of Infrastructure, Development and Construction in managing and supervising the construction of the new Haulover Bridge. The Haulover Bridge was designed and built to connect safely, reliably and sustainably Belize City to the international airport and the Phillip S.W. Goldson Highway that leads all the way to Mexico. The infrastructure has helped boost the country's social and economic growth by strengthening the local infrastructure network while ensuring a high degree of resilience to climate change.

The Haulover Bridge connects Belize City to the northern part of the country and to the international airport, which is the country's most important commercial and tourist hub and the fifth busiest airport in Central America. In October 2017, the Government of Belize obtained funding from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) to replace the existing and disused infrastructure in the territory. When work began in October 2021, Politecnica was assigned the construction management, completing the project in early 2024.

The existing infrastructure on the Belize River is a steel structure dating back to 1947. The new Haulover Bridge accommodates a two-lane roadway with a 5 m wide embankment, four reinforced concrete intermediate piers, a continuous prestressed concrete girder deck, and multiple spans, all designed to LRFD-AASHTO standards near the existing structure. The overall infrastructure features the new bridge and two viaducts covering a total length of 960 m.

The 130 m overpass, oblique to the direction of the river, is designed with two side spans and one central span. On both banks there are multi-span viaducts that, combined with road embankments, allow connection with the road network through a new roundabout and a "T" intersection. The new infrastructure accommodates two 1.5 m wide lanes and pedestrian sidewalks, protected by safety barriers, on both sides.