The second road project co-financed by the European Union was finished yesterday as the final part of Hal Far Road leading from the Hal Far Barracks to the Malta Freeport was opened to traffic.
The three-kilometre-road had been undergoing major reconstruction for almost a year as part of a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund for which €4.7 million were allocated. The fund can finance up to 75 per cent of the project's expenses.
This was the second road project co-financed by the EU to be completed after Civil Aviation Avenue in Luqa.
The final touches to the road signage as well as the state-of-the-art full cut-off lighting along the road were being carried out during the last week.
Landscaping works along the road will wrap up in a few weeks' time.
The road was constructed according to the class 1 standard of the Malta Transport Authority's Road Construction and Design Standards and can handle up to 10 million 10-ton axle passes during its projected lifetime of 25 years.
The geometry of the road was improved substantially and several of its notorious bends were smoothened out or removed altogether, as in the case of the 90° turn on approaching the Employment and Training Corporation Offices from the Hal Far Barracks.
A cycle lane and pedestrian walkway were also included in the road's design. These join up with the cycle lane and walkway that already exist on the parts of Hal Far Road leading to Malta International Airport that were reconstructed a few years ago.
The works on this project were finished some four months earlier than the term stipulated in the contract, and this despite the fact that several components that were not envisaged in the original tender were added during the course of the project.
These works included the laying of a new sewer along the road, major repairs to an existing sewer, which also had to be rerouted, the replacement of a water main and the shifting of several ducts, which were found to be too shallow for the level of the road.
A spokesman for the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads described the completion of Hal Far Phase III as an important link in Government's strategy to improve Malta's arterial and distributor road network.
"It is a milestone in that it makes it possible to drive from the southernmost tip of the island to Mgarr and Burmarrad on new roads that were built to the highest standards," he said.
Apart from being of crucial importance to heavy vehicle traffic generated by the Malta Freeport and the Bonded Stores, the road will also provide a safer infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclist who could use it for leisure, particularly at the weekends, he added.