August deadline for repairs

Repair works on the collapsed section of the Xemxija bypass have been given another deadline: The end of August.

Since the repairs first began in last December, the work pace has been at best leisurely. However, a spokesman for Transport Minister Austin Gatt told The Times that the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) had set the end of August as the final deadline for the completion of all the road works at the site.

The 300-metre long south-bound section of the road had collapsed in 2000 as a result of illegal excavations in nearby land belonging to Polidano Brothers. Different ADT administrations failed to apportion responsibility over the years and only after intense media attention did the government start talking of holding the developers to account for the damage, estimated at some €1,164,686 (Lm500,000).

The ministry spokesman said that ADT will be asked to submit an extensive report that includes recommendations on the whole project. The ministry would comment further after reviewing the recommendations.

The entire bypass saw a rebuilding job, which cost Lm3 million (€7 million) and which was carried out by Polidano Brothers themselves last year. Nonetheless, the damaged section was left unrepaired. Eventually, in July last year then Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett announced an agreement on the repairs, saying that the work would be completed by September. Nothing came out of that arrangement and the Office of the Prime Minister intervened, threatening the developers with legal action if they did not accept responsibility by October 12. Even that ultimatum expired without anything happening.

A second agreement was announced in December but by January the ministry would still not give a deadline for the final completion of the repairs. The ADT had said in December that the road would be closed to traffic for the first five days, after which the developer would continue works without disturbing the traffic. That phase actually took well over a month.