Traffic flow at Kappara roundabout under study

Embellishment works, underway at the Sliema Road roundabout in Kappara, have aroused curiosity as to what has become of the proposed Kappara link road to Gzira - part of the Manoel Island and Tigne' project.

But Transport Minister Censu Galea said the project, which involved a combination of bridges and tunnels, was "still on". However, it was, as yet, a "project on paper" and could take a number of years to be initiated, he said.

Meanwhile, the public-private partnership responsible for the landscaping of the roads, was continuing with the embellishment of roundabouts, Mr Galea said.

He said it was likely that the palm trees, which have been planted on the Kappara roundabout, would have to be uprooted when the works on the link road eventually kicked off. But this would not be a problem as they could be relocated, he said.

Works on the link road from Kappara to Manoel Island would be in the hands of the Roads Directorate, within the Malta Transport Authority, Mr Galea said, adding that the Regional Road section of the project would be partly funded by the EU.

Meanwhile, the authority is studying the capacity of the Kappara roundabout, monitoring the traffic flow with the traffic lights on and off, authority CEO Mario Falzon said.

The study, which involves the use of the traffic lights at intervals, started on Saturday and goes on until Friday.

It was carried out due to the tailbacks in the area, Mr Falzon said, explaining that it had been noticed that, in the case of a power cut, there was no congestion.

Next week, the results would be evaluated and a report drawn up by the traffic management director to be presented to the authority's board of directors and the minister.

The Manoel Island and Tigne' project, whose inception dates back to 1998, included an agreement for the Midi consortium developers to develop the Kappara junction.

The new road was intended to connect Gzira to Kappara, stretching along 1.5 km, carrying over 1,200 vehicles per hour and was estimated to cost Lm5 million.

Plans had been released for a connection between Regional Road and Manoel Island via a bridge and the Gzira local council had objected that there had been no consultation.