Red lights for inferior road repairs

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Austin Gatt yesterday took aim at present practices in the building and patching of roads, saying he deemed them as going against the public interest.

Road contractors carried out quality tests on roads they had worked on themselves and used "very inferior" end-products for patching, he pointed out in a new set of directives issued to the Malta Transport Authority (ADT).

The ADT was instructed not to rely on certification issued by the contractors themselves but to carry out independent testing.

Dr Gatt charged that although quality tests were required on newly-constructed or extensively-refurbished roads, these were being carried out by the contractor at testing facilities chosen by the contractor himself rather than by the transport watchdog.

"I consider this as bad practice. It is in the public interest that such tests are carried out by an independent laboratory in order that the authority - the guardian of the public interest in this area - can, independently of the contractor, ascertain that the quality contracted for is being delivered."

The directive establishes that tests are to be commissioned by the ADT from independent testing facilities with accreditation and a recognised reputation for quality assurance in a way that results have weighting in a court of law if contested by contractors.

He said the Malta National Laboratory, which, although owned by the government is an independent institution, already has limited testing facilities. With the addition of equipment owned, but underutilised, by the authority and contacts with other independent laboratories, the national lab should provide an immediate service.

Payment should also depend on the test results, with the minister saying that the ADT should only issue payment after receiving positive results of independent tests. If tests indicated deficiencies in workmanship, the contractor would have to carry out all the necessary remedial work at his own expense, including financial compensation for the impact of the delay.

Moreover, contractors whose work consistently failed the tests would no longer be considered for subsequent contracts for similar works for a pre-established period.

Dr Gatt also condemned the fact that the quality of the end-product being used for road patching was "very inferior" and could not be up to internationally-recognised standards, adding that the authority has a regulatory function over all roads, including those managed by local councils.

"I deem it unacceptable for the authority itself or for local councils to pursue a policy of accepting low-quality work simply because it is provided by the bidder with the cheapest offer. Minimum published quality standards should be the basic and only acceptable benchmark for tendering."

The minister said road markings are also falling short of quality standards and the directives needed to apply to these markings too.

The directives were sent to the ADT chairman and chief executive.

This was not the first time that the ADT has received a rap on the knuckles from Dr Gatt since he was appointed minister responsible for roads and transport. One of his first moves was to order the authority to take immediate and strict action if any illegal road works are undertaken by local councils or any other entity. Earlier this month, he ordered the ADT to look into complaints by the teachers' union that small children at a Żurrieq school were exposed to a dangerous road. And only last week he instructed the authority to take action against unlicensed car park attendants.