Tender for breakwater bridge issued

It may be seven months late, but a tender for the reconstruction of the €2.8 million steel Grand Harbour breakwater bridge has finally been published.

Unveiling the project last February, Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt had said the call for tender for its reconstruction would be issued within a month.

The bridge, which will connect the Grand Harbour breakwater to Fort St Elmo, is expected to be financed by the Malta Maritime Authority.

Completed in 1906, the original bridge was destroyed in 1941 in an attack by the Italian navy. The original pillars are still standing and are scheduled, which means they cannot be touched.

Although the government's original plan was to reconstruct a replica of the Victorian bridge, it contained a lot of steel and was not deemed cost-effective. As a result, a simpler design was drawn up with a steel arch, a timber deck and an observation area.

Full development permission for the project was granted in March. Although the existing cylinder pillars may be restored, they cannot be moved or reduced in height.

The tender document, which was issued on September 18 and closes on December 3, specifies that only companies with a turnover of €5 million over the past three years and experience in steel and marine constructions are eligible to apply.

Expected to be completed in 2010, the bridge must have a lifespan of 120 years.

The steel bridge is one of the government's projects for the regeneration of Grand Harbour, which also includes the panoramic lift linking Lascaris Wharf to Upper Barrakka, the removal of the tank-cleaning facility and the privatisation of the Malta Shipyards.