Both spans of Manwel Dimech Bridge will reopen on Monday at 3 p.m. with traffic able to flow at ordinary speed, the Infrastructure Ministry said this evening.

It also announced that minister Austin Gatt has directed the Transport Authority to prepare a detailed report on the weaknesses in the execution of this project, whose completion has been much delayed. The authority was also instructed to safeguard its legal position with regard to the contractor.

The ministry explained that although traffic would be able to flow across both spans from Monday afternoon, some work remained to be done, including the rehabilitation of the valley below the bridge, the rebuilding of rubble walls and the building of stairs linking the bridge to Triq il-Kalci.

Dr Gatt has instructed the ADT to ensure that this work is completed in the shortest possible time.

Meanwhile, the ADT said the bridge will be closed to traffic on Sunday and most of Monday.

The bridge and Triq Mikelang Borg (road leading from Spinola Bay to Manwel Dimech Bridge southbound tunnel) is to be closed from Sunday at 3am to Monday at 3pm.

The following traffic diversions are to be in place:

* On Sunday between 3am and Noon, vehicular traffic from Kappara Junction Roundabout will be diverted to Sliema Road either towards San Ġwann or towards Gżira.

* Between Noon on Sunday and 3pm of Monday, vehicular traffic from Kappara Junction will be diverted to Sliema Road towards San Ġwann or Gżira; Triq M.A. Vassalli and Ġuże Ellul Mercer Bridge (Bridge before the tunnels) from where traffic will be diverted to the slip road in the direction towards Birkirkara Road, San Gwann.

* Between Sunday at 3am and Monday at 3pm, vehicular traffic from Triq M.A. Vassalli (Paċeville Traffic Light Junction), southbound, will be diverted to Triq Sant' Andrija, Triq San Ġorġ and onto Spinola