The **Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway**, known as Route AR4 within the road numbering system, starts at mile 5 on the [[road:8]] and runs from [[settlement:79]] to [[settlement:202]].https://www.cisco.com.bz/pdfs/Southern%20Highway%20(Mile%2014)-%20Belize%20Guatemala%20Border%20Road%20Project%20%e2%80%93%20Progress%20Report.pdfhttps://www.nationalassembly.gov.bz/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SI-No.-90-of-2023-Public-Roads-Names-and-Description-of-Highways-Order-2023.pdf The highway provides important access to a number of Mayan ruins and natural areas. The ancient Mayan sites of Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun are each situated a few miles west of the highway in southern Belize. The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is several miles west of the highway in south-central Belize.https://traveltips.usatoday.com/hotels-near-southern-highway-belize-city-43309.html # History Before the road was paved, flooding would sometimes render the road impassable for 2-3 weeks at a time, as mentioned in 1976.https://gpd.gov.bz/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PSB10440GEOFIE-Field-Operations-Report-South-Belize-Prospect-Part-I-Survey-B76A-for-Esso-Ventures-Inc.-From-January-2-1976-August-5-1976.pdf During the 1980s they started paving the highway, with the completion of a 10-mile segment between [[settlement:110(2008)]] and [[settlement:19(2008)]] circa 2008–09. ## Etymology Before being named the **Southern Highway**, the TV Ramos Highway had various other names. From [[settlement:79(1963)]] to the [[settlement:89]] was called **Stann Creek-Punta Gorda Road** or the **Big Falls-Belize Road** (1976).https://gpd.gov.bz/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PSB10440GEOFIE-Field-Operations-Report-South-Belize-Prospect-Part-I-Survey-B76A-for-Esso-Ventures-Inc.-From-January-2-1976-August-5-1976.pdf And the main road from [[settlement:202(1963)]] to [[settlement:224(1963)]] was called the **Punta Gorda-San Antonio Road** (1963https://www.google.com.co/books/edition/Government_Gazette/Ix1bY6rnEaUC?hl=en&gbpv=1,1976https://gpd.gov.bz/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PSB10440GEOFIE-Field-Operations-Report-South-Belize-Prospect-Part-I-Survey-B76A-for-Esso-Ventures-Inc.-From-January-2-1976-August-5-1976.pdf). On September 30, 2020 the **Southern Highway** was renamed to **Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway**. It was named after Thomas Vincent Ramos, the creator of Garifuna Settlement Day.https://amandala.com.bz/news/southern-highway-named-thomas-vincent-ramos-highway/

Bridge Detail