San Mateo, the canal-side neighbourhood on the lagoon edge of San Pedro town on Ambergris Caye, is in for a shake-up. On November 10th the San Pedro Town Council broke ground on a new 120-foot pedestrian and bicycle bridge linking San Mateo with the main part of town, then held an evening information session at the Sagebrush Sports Complex where residents quizzed officials on timelines, drainage and long-standing water problems.
The project is funded through a US$2.4 million allocation to San Mateo under the Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Development Program, backed by the Inter-American Development Bank as part of a wider US$12.5 million effort that also touches Corozal and Orange Walk. Bridge construction is expected to start by December 2026, roughly a month after the groundbreaking, with Mayor Nunez noting that design tweaks added sidewalk space on the southern approach.
Street works are next in line. The contract was signed in late September but the design phase is still underway, with construction pencilled in for the second quarter of 2027. Plans include about 10,000 feet of drainage channels and sidewalks, 5,000 feet of bike paths, 1,900 feet of concrete pavement, pedestrian crossings, traffic calming, native trees and energy-efficient lighting. Officials are even weighing removable sidewalk slabs so utilities can be reached without tearing up fresh concrete.
Water access has already improved: Belize Water Services finished an expansion costing around US$150,000, laying roughly 1,380 feet of distribution lines to reach areas that previously had no service. But residents at the meeting flagged low water pressure, wastewater reaching the environment and the lack of any sewerage system. Officials were blunt on that last point — sewerage sits outside the funded works because of cost and treatment-capacity limits, with no date attached. Drainage designs, meanwhile, have to respect the surrounding wetland without pushing floodwater onto residents' properties.
For travellers, the relevance is practical rather than headline-grabbing. San Mateo sits across the water from central San Pedro, and until now the existing main bridge has been the community's only real connection — one it leans on for emergencies too. The new crossing, designed to let pedestrians and cyclists through while allowing emergency vehicles when needed, should make it easier and safer to wander between the neighbourhood and the town core on foot or by golf cart, the island's transport of choice.
Worth knowing if you're planning a trip: construction is likely to mean intermittent disruption around the area from early 2027, so expect detours and noise if you're staying near San Mateo's canals. The neighbourhood itself is one of the more local, less polished corners of an island better known for beach bars and reef trips, and these works signal the town is investing in connecting it properly for the first time. If you're visiting San Pedro, most of the action — dive shops, restaurants, the ferry dock — remains on the eastern side, but the improved walking and cycling links may eventually make the lagoon side an easy add-on to a day's exploring. Anyone with questions can follow the project's updates through the San Pedro Town Council.
