Work has begun on the first of six road projects that are being co-financed by the European Union. Earlier last week, two contractors took work in hand on the Hal Far Phase III project that will see the reconstruction of a 3.2 km-long arterial road from the Peace Laboratory to Malta Freeport.

Hal Far Road probably sees the most intense traffic by heavy vehicles in Malta - it carries all the container traffic between the Freeport, the Bonded Stores, Óal Far Industrial Estate and the other industrial areas as well as the commercial cargo haulage traffic towards the rest of the island.

This road is being reconstructed according to Construction Class 1 of the Road Design and Construction Standards set by the Malta Transport Authority. This means that the road pavement can handle some 30 million 10-ton axles throughout its design life - equivalent to around 10 million heavy vehicles in 25 years.

Work on this road will also include its widening, improvement in its present alignment and geometry, construction of combined cycle lanes and pedestrian walkways, laying of new services infrastructure and shifting of existing infrastructure to under the pathways, as well as the construction of stormwater systems all along.

The wearing course asphalt, which will be laid on this road, will be of the same type laid on the Italian Protocol roads; the asphalt has enhanced skid resistance properties.

The project is being co-funded under the EU's European Regional Development Fund Programme that finances up to 75 per cent of the expected €4.7 million estimated cost. The project is scheduled for completion by December next year.

Urban Development and Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett visited the work site on Friday and said that these projects are the next step in Government's long-term strategy for the improvement of Malta's arterial and distributor road network.