Rooting out a problem

Over the past three years, the government has constructed or funded the construction of an average of 126 roads a year in residential areas in Malta alone.

The result of the government giving a high priority to the improvement of the road network is also reflected in other success stories. Ten per cent of Malta's arterial and distributor road network was rebuilt to high standards over the past two years while works to reconstruct another six per cent of these are underway. Rural roads such as the road linking Zebbug, Siggiewi and Rabat, and the access road to Chadwick Lakes are also receiving due attention.

We have seen entire areas such as Zonqor Point, in Marsascala, being given a new lease of life and a better environment for people to live in. Other localities, such as Gudja and Gharghur, have seen their backlog of residential roads waiting to be done up shrinking considerably or virtually disappearing.

With 379 residential roads being done up in such a relatively short time, the backlog for the construction of roads that still fell under the responsibility of the central government was cut to a manageable size - putting us in an excellent position to come up with an unprecedented opportunity to chop the backlog altogether.

This was the pretext that led to the launch of an ambitious programme that will see the construction of up to 450 residential roads in Malta.

Some have been asking why this programme is limited to residential roads in Malta alone. In fact, residential roads in Gozo fall under a separate programme spearheaded by the Ministry for Gozo with assistance from the Malta Transport Authority.

Every residential road that was never constructed and which, therefore, still falls under the responsibility of the central government was listed, photographed and measured. A rough estimate of the expense needed to construct each road was also computed.

The scope of this exercise was to come up with a definitive list of residential roads that required construction because earlier lists were either inaccurate, incomplete or included roads that had already been constructed and, therefore, fell under the responsibility of the local council.

About 50 other roads, the state of which deteriorated due to heavily use by traffic and which serve a linking function within or between neighbouring localities, were also included in the list.

The total estimated expense for the construction of these 450 residential roads - for a total length of 55 kilometres - surpasses the Lm8 million mark.

Tenders for the construction of the first 80 roads on the list have already been published, however, talks are underway with the Federation of Industry, representing road contractors, to negotiate a series of period contracts for the execution of these works. This should speed up the programme by eliminating the delays caused by tendering procedures. Intelligent management of such contracts could also lead to more effective control on quality and timelines.

The government is aiming to construct as many of these residential roads as possible by the end of the current legislature. The completion of this programme will not just improve the urban environment of towns and villages. It will effectively mean giving a major asset to our communities. My appeal is to these communities to jealously protect these assets particularly from shoddy trenching, reinstatement works, and abusive construction projects.

(The list was published in a brochure being distributed to all local councils in Malta. A PDF version can be downloaded from the website of the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads at www.mudr.gov.mt.)

Mr Mugliett is Minister for Urban Development and Roads.