M&M Engineering Consultants dispute City Council’s claims over Belcan Bridge design

Posted: Thursday, October 9, 2025. 2:02 pm CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: M&M Engineering Consultants Ltd. (MMEC) has issued a detailed response to the Belize City Council’s October 6th press release regarding the design of the new Belcan Bridge, rejecting claims that another firm, Turba Limited, had improved on its original design.

In the statement, MMEC Director and Senior Engineer Roque Matus reaffirmed that his company was the original designer of the bridge, developed on behalf of NARCO Limited for the Government of Belize.

Matus emphasized that MMEC’s work was “guided by rigorous geotechnical data, international engineering standards, and decades of proven experience in bridge design and construction across Belize.”

According to MMEC, the Belize City Council’s bidding documents contained the firm’s original bridge design with minimal alterations, rebranded under Turba Limited’s title block.

The company described this as an act of “plagiarism and intellectual property theft,” asserting that Turba Ltd. had “misled both the people of Belize and the Republic of China (Taiwan) regarding the authorship and origin of the bridge design.” MMEC added that its drawings were the result of a comprehensive geotechnical investigation and structural analysis, which had already been reviewed in consultation with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and other international stakeholders.

In its response, MMEC highlighted multiple similarities between its design and Turba’s version, pointing to identical technical features such as girder lengths, pier dimensions, seismic block locations, abutment details, and pile configurations. “Turba Ltd. used every single dimension provided by M&M Engineering Consultants Ltd. and even up to our nomenclature,” the company stated.

MMEC also noted that Turba’s drawings included disclaimers that deferred responsibility for foundation design to the contractor—something MMEC argued would “create the potential for significant cost overruns and time delays.”

The firm further disputed Turba’s claims of making structural enhancements, such as adding piles or modifying slopes.

MMEC said those changes lacked geotechnical backing and could “decrease driving quality” or “compromise long-term durability.” In one section, the company stated, “We do not observe any genuine improvements in structural adequacy or constructability. In fact, the Belize City Council is now left with an incomplete set of drawings that shift the responsibility onto the contractor for critical aspects of the bridge.”

MMEC concluded by reaffirming confidence in its original Belcan Bridge design, calling it “the only technically sound, fully developed, and construction-ready solution.”

The firm said its work represents not only international engineering excellence but also Belizean ingenuity: “We therefore reaffirm that M&M Engineering Consultants Ltd.’s design remains the only bridge designed by Belizeans, for Belize.”

 

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.

 

© 2025, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.

The post M&M Engineering Consultants dispute City Council’s claims over Belcan Bridge design appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.

Posted: Thursday, October 9, 2025. 2:02 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: M&M Engineering Consultants Ltd. (MMEC) has issued a detailed response to the Belize
The post M&M Engineering Consultants dispute City Council’s claims over Belcan Bridge design appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.