Gap in deadlines still to be bridged

Uncertainty over when the Manwel Dimech Bridge should be completed was nowhere near being cleared up yesterday when the government again insisted that it should be March, despite the contractor so far sticking to a May deadline.

During an onsite visit arranged for the media on Tuesday, the contractor gave May as the "realistic" completion date.

Neither is it clear whether the contractor will incur penalties for the delays in completion. A re-built bridge was originally meant to have been delivered in September.

Contacted yesterday, a spokesman for the Roads Ministry said discussions between the authorities and the contractor were still underway.

Asked whether the contractor would be incurring any penalties, he said this would not be known until an agreement on the completion date is reached.

He said that if both parties were to agree on a March date and work was not finished on time, penalties would certainly be imposed.

In an interview with The Times last year, Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett had said the contractor would be liable to pay penalties if the work was delayed and if the traffic management was not up to scratch.

Earlier this year, the September deadline was extended to November. However, not even the first of the two viaducts has been completed yet. For the bridge to be finished by the end of March, works on the second viaduct would have to be completed in a third of the time taken so far.

The ministry spokesman said the contractor has already mobilised more people so that the work could be done at a quicker pace.