Updated: Msida council complains about state of Valley Road

(Adds ADT's reaction)

The Msida council is holding the Transport Authority responsable for any damage or harm caused to residents and commuters because of the deplorable state of Valley Road.

It said in a statement that Msida and its residents were being given the cold shoulder for partisan reasons with Valley Road still being marked with huge potholes and silt filled water culverts.

The council said that this was in spite of the fact that the Transport Authority said recently that several roads, including Valley Road, had to be resurfaced with hot asphalt in a week long maintenance programme starting on February 6, the road was still in a deplorable state.

It said the same road had a central strip which had to be reconstructed following the removal of dangerous trees two years ago by the same authority. But these works were also never carried out and it was now more dangerous for commuters than it ever was. This arterial road falls under the authority of the central government.

The council said it would not tolerate the situation any longer and called upon the competent authority to take immediate action.

In a reaction, the ADT said the road in question was one of the major thoroughfares included in the Temporary Emergency Road Repair Programme published on January 29.

The extensive patching works had not yet commenced because trenching works were being carried out by a private contractor. Consequently, it did not make sense for the ADT to carry out the remedial works first and then allow a private contractor to dig up the road again.

Costing an average of €30,000, the remedial works, which would include extensive patching and the reinstatment of the trench, would be carried out once the private contractor would have completed his work and following a dry spell since the amount of storm water gathered in the area did not permit the maintenance of such works unless the road was dry.

The private contractor was expected to complete the works towards the end of next week. Remedial works would commence immediately after.