Work on the second phase of the Mosta ring road is nearing completion.

The first layer of tarmac on the final 600m stretch of road, which passes right behind the Mosta Technopark, was laid last week. Once completed, this road will be a vital distributor road for traffic linking the central densely populated areas of the island - Birkirkara, Mosta, Lija, Balzan - with the north.

The work on this stretch was technically challenging since the road had to go over an old quarry. There were also issues related to expropriation which caused delays, a spokesman for the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads said.

Work is now moving on to the junction with Labour Avenue near Kind's.

After the road is opened to traffic, landscaping and ancillary roads would be carried out in the area, the spokesman said.

The spokesman said that two other projects would be completed soon: the roads around Mosta and the Salina-Iklin link. All three would involve state-of-the-art roads with a lifespan of about 25 years, the spokesman added.