Manwel Dimech bridge reopens at last

Really ... too many cars on the roads ... and now Roads Minister Dr. Austin Gatt planned the Park and Ride ... with the intention of reducing cars in the Floriana/Valletta area! *That* is a joke!

Bridge looks fine and so are the joints....unfortunately it will not solve any traffic problems since the bottleneck has always been Kappara roundabout....and the exit of the Qormi tunnels on the way to Marsa...and too many cars on the road!!!

My dear victor. I have a geat sense of humour but i just can't get it. Is it me or us or maybe its jast a lame joke. Whaterver the case isugest you keep your day job.

And long overdue! As a frequent commuter between san gwann and st andrews, this has affected me very badly, with all the traffic passing through san gwann valley. also, they turned the Tal Balal Road into a one-way road - sometimes double no entry. this has increased confusion and congestion no end. hopefully with the bridge reopened, the gravity of this problem is not so serious ...

"Flimkien kollox possibbli" - really, a bit late and just a wee over budget, but it's finally finished.

Dr. Austin Gatt a few weeks ago said that it is acceptable to have projects running up to 15% over budget and time schedules. To his standards, therefore, thumbs down to the job carried out over Manwel Dimech bridge.

May other incompetent Ministers fall when they don't deliver.

You don't need to go faster than 60 kph in Malta; you will run out of road soon enough. Good old Malta, always in my heart.

That is why we are so much behind other EU countries ( even those which entered at the same time as we did) if many of us keep accepting and defending such ineffiecencies. We are too complacent a nation!!!! This is our money after all. And this is not the last.
What about Rue d'Argens ? Deja-vu !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have to admit. Here in Malta we take ages to do anything, from completing a project in time like a bridge, a hospital, Gozo harbour, a by-pass(St. Paul's Bay) etc etc or simply take a decision and take action!!!! This I am refering to is the new taxation system on vehicles , decadent public transport and smog/pollution issue!!!!! We lack discipline!!!

Can anyone guess what is that cloud behind that bus (moving away from the bridge!) in the background of this photo ??? Is it dust or is it carbon monoxide?? I can barely see the bus!!!

Come on let's move!!!

I wonder what inconveniences will occur, and how long it will take when the Guze Ellul Mercer bridge will have to be rebuilt!

I give up! Here I am trying to bring some sense of humour to this charade and what do I get?
a bunch of people with absolutaly no idea of a joke. Can't you see my point? I could just as easily have used the bridge spanning the Bosphorus or the Sidney harbour bridge. I only wanted to ridicule the length of time it took to finish one measly bridge in malta that's all.

Oh for goodness sake - stop comparing the Golden Gate Bridge to Manoel Dimech Bridge. Can't you see you're comparing apples and oranges? And yes the delay in finalising the project caused much inconvenience to those who drive through the vicinity regularly. I don't see why we should join the hosanna choir because a project that's taken ages to complete has finally materialised

60Km/h speed limit is a farce for such a dual carriageway - this is a bid to keep on collecting money from speed fines

So what if a MASSIVE bridge in New York was built in 4 years BEFORE the second world war. The Westin Dragonara hotel was built in 11 months from scratch.

Ok OK ok SO ITS SIX MONTHS LATE. So.....! No big deal unless the extra costs are out of proportion that is.....and dont forget it cost the job of the then Minister responsible.

Almost 2 years for a 300 metre-or-so bridge to gain an extra 15km/h? Thank you!

By the way, this whole farce could have been avoided had the opening been delayed just a day or two. And why didn't they replace the tarmac all the way to the lights?

Wow...can't believe it! Had almost given up!!!! I use that road many times every day as I go to University and on my way back home! Such a relief !

Let me give it to you this way.
"They promise a lot, they deliver very little, and when things go wrong, there is always a plausible excuse for their failure!"
Who am I talking about?

The reopening of the bridge is of course a breath of fresh air. However, even if it is now the best bridge in the world I will still be disappointed with the fact that it was finished 7mts late. 7mts late compared to the original commitment of 12mts is a 58% delay, which, for me, is significant, and means increased costs. I still remember the billboards before entering the tunnel stating the starting date of Sep 2006 and the committed finishing date of Sep 2007. Such billboard was only removed in Nov 2007. It's all about committment and good planning. Is it possible that only in Malta we find unexpected problems when building roads? And always?

In all honesty I can't imagine how melissa and martin failed to see my tongue stuck firmly in my cheek when I wrote my comment! is it possible that sense of humour is so lacking in this country? of course I know the dimensions and magnitude of the golden gate bridge and therein lies the joke.

Why was the speed limit set at only 60km/h? Is it still not capable of withstanding cars passing at 80km/h even after being refitted? What a farce!

Mr. Pulis, no offence but no wonder this country never moves ahead.... people of your ilk accept mediocrity and delays..... and then (sopra corna bastonate) try to justify them by resorting to senseless comparisons.

MD Bridge compared to the Golden Gate? As we say in Maltese " u hallina minnek, xbin!"

The guy in the outside lane doesn't appear to be in a very safe place. Shouldn't the other worker have placed the cones on the road before his mate started work.

what the heck ! just see the photo , over the bridge it's a complete mess !! it is the same on all 4 sides . After all what is all this fuss they just finished the job so well done to everyone who was involved for inflating the cost , not giving any guaranty on the work and just took it so easy that I cant remember how long they took to build it . thanks!!!

I fully agree with Mr. Pulis. This is another monumental engineering feat completed in less than 18 months despite all the unforeseen obstacles that threatened progress. Great job!

What's the difference between Golden Gate Bridge and Manwel Dimech Bridge? Aren't they both bridges? Of course they are!
Golden Gate Bridge has 6 lanes and connects the city of San Francisco to Marin County, is 8981feet long and 90 feet wide.
Manwel Dimech Bridge connects Gzira to St Julians, has 4 lanes, is......not all that long and not all that wide.
Why pick on Mr. Pulis? Its a fact that they're both bridges!!!!
M. Pulis, do the maths and you'll understand what the fuss is all about!

Dear Victor, with all due respect, can one honestly compare this tiny bridge to a bridge like the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge? True, it took four years to build, but it was the first of it kind and magnitude in the 1930s.

Dear Victor, in all honesty, can one compare the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge to this one? In 1937, it was a one of a kind, the first suspension bridge to be built of that size and magnitude. This is 2008.

Dear Mr. Victor Pulis, The golden gate bridge is a suspension bridge and it was built from scratch. The supporting pillars for Manuel Dimech Bridge were not changed.
Thank God for that otherwise we would have had to wait for at least another two years at least to see the end.

San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge took four years to complete so why all the fuss?!

the whole point is to have it done well and on time.

"Workers still have to remove scaffolding from under the structure, rehabilitate the valley and rebuild some walls"

i'm curious as to how long this will take...

I do not want to be pessimistic. I hope it is not half baked. From the photo it seems that there are no gutters. We have to wait till it rains. Perhaps mid-September!

Well we should be used to delays by now, but it's better late then never. So well done!

Irrespective whether there has been a delay of seven months, now it is open and it has been reconstructed to the best standards and it will last for a good number of years. We Maltese seem to think negatively and most of the times we complain. There would have been more criticism if the road would have been constructed in a short time and not up to standard.

What are seven months in the lifetime of a country! !

About effen time.