Valletta Road, Zurrieq to be completed by August
The reconstruction of a 1.9 kilometre stretch in Valletta Road, Zurrieq, should be completed by August and will cost €4.4 million, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said.
Addressing a news conference on site, Dr Gatt said that €4 million were being forked out by the EU, the remaining €400,000 by the government.
The works will include the installation of a storm water culvert, the reconstruction and realignment of the road, all the services, including electricity and water, and street lighting and traffic signs.
Dr Gatt said this was one of the many projects taken in hand this year by Transport Malta. A total of €60 to €80 million, part of which were EU funds would be spend on road works this year.
Another three major projects this year are the road from Cirkewwa to the Red Tower in Mellieha, the road in front of the sea terminal in Valletta and Garibaldi Road leading to the airport.
The minister said it was a great challenge to improve the quality of Maltese roads and Valletta Road in Zurrieq was one of the worst the country ever had. Regular maintenance, he said, was as important as the construction of roads.
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Louis Cassar
Apr 20th 2011, 10:18
Just a question: Why do they start road works in Spring/Summer the time period that Malta receives lots of tourists?
The strange thing is they do exactly the same in Cyprus!. Instead of starting road works from October-March, all of our road works begin from April - August, the time when tourists come over to visit us, and they find a complete mess in our roads..
Michael Scicluna
Feb 7th 2010, 08:45
What a relief for the Valletta Road to Zurrieq to be rebuilt, I only use it about 10 times in a year, but for those who use it on a daily basis it is a bigger relief. When one works out the € 4,000,000 that it is going to cost it works out approx € 15.00 for every registered vehicle about 300,000, which is nothing compared to all the taxes that are paid on buying a new car, the yearly road tax, and all the VAT made on repairs, maintenance and services on the vehicles so we hope to see more of the car taxes monies spent on better roads. The resurfacing of Salina to St Paul’s Bay which Mr Charles Micallef in this column refers too, already has need for repairs containing pot holes and the unleveled edges. Thank you for any attention taken.
Stephen Mangion
Feb 6th 2010, 15:27
Come on!! Are you serious!!! I've seen large-scale projects close down over a week in Turkey. This roads is a main artery used by thousands daily!! We cant afford to drag it till August. Question: Who will be accountable for any maintanance once potholes will start to emerge. Hey I'm not the devils advocate but we need to start being accountable for the tax-payers money and that its wisely invested. On a positive note thanks a million for the Qrendi Road which was recently completed after 27 years of desolative lunar resemblance.
K Abela
Feb 6th 2010, 01:43
Always great to hear about a news like this, but it seems like that someone is going to get very rich really quickly out of this project... anyways lucky that we are part of the EU.
Rose Agius
Feb 5th 2010, 23:55
WOW what great News! The busy Minister hs the time for a press conference to announce the project on a 1.9 km road..since when is this News or maybe he is right ..we are so short of good, decent roqds that when one is takne in hand this is BIG NEWS..Well done..and with EU funds too...where does the millions of euros we pay in road tax goes I would like to know? To Give out to the Transport Assocoiation for their old , rusty buses. Well done Dr Gatt.
albert zammit
Feb 5th 2010, 20:46
Ok, you might have say 20 guys at perhaps 8k a year which works out 80k for the 6 months on the job! You mean to say 3,900,000 euros used for materials? Even if one works it out at 200k euros wages, there are still 3.8M euros! This is a replica to the Council of Europe's 100yards road! And after we've been waiting since the war (!) for a proper road surface, now we come out with essays about the project. Where's the opposition?
Henry Jacobs
Feb 5th 2010, 19:53
Is it true that Franco Debono was there? Is he a road construction expert too. Climate change probably keeps him so busy he didn't know about the Copenhagen Summit. PM wake up
Roderick Cutajar
Feb 5th 2010, 19:19
Its all too well to read about such projects but what worries me are 2 things: 1) certain newly resurfaced roads are not up to standard. The road between San Gwann and Naxxar springs to mind. and 2) this government has a habit of declaring half finished projects. It says it did the main road leading to Naxxar parish church but anyone who drives on this road will surely notice that this road is half done and another road, not far away, is the one from Lija cemetery leading to Mosta. Same thing here, this rode is only partly done and the rest of it is just as worse.
Kenneth Galea
Feb 5th 2010, 18:29
@Joan Bugeja Have to say you made me laugh out loud! 'Inmaqdru biss', nice one. Also some people think they are experts. Oh and have you read that the bulk of the funds are coming from the EU. Hmmmmmmm wonder if we are a switzerland in the mediterranean if we would have qualified. Probably we would have had to beg Gaddaffi. Well I hope the road is built up to standard.
Nigel Lawrence
Feb 5th 2010, 18:25
At over €2 million a kilometer it had better be good, how long will it be before it needs "repairs".
Joseph Calleja
Feb 5th 2010, 18:01
Minister Austin Gatt I am always whining about the road between Cirkewwa to the Red Tower in Mellieha. This piece of road is part of the main artery between the Airport and Valletta to the Cirkewwa Ferry Terminal. I am sure many Maltese and Gozitan people welcome this change, not to mention the bus drivers and tourists who think this piece of road is a roller coaster ride. Good job Minister Austin Gatt.
Joe Agius
Feb 5th 2010, 15:53
By August road will be ready.What I hope is that by September we wont have our first accident.Cameras have to be installed .On the contrary of the Zebbug by pass, Do not put only cameres at the middle of this road.In the Zebbug by pass you can(easily) hit the 120 kph from the roundabout of the St Dorothy to the speed cameras.They are but a joke. They have to be placed closer to the begenning and closer to the end of this road.
norbert gingell
Feb 5th 2010, 15:25
but what about resurfacing the stretch of road from Fluer-de-Lys to Mriehel on both sides? Both sides are in such a poor state that they have been reduced to driving on one lane !!!! I pity the tourists who use the buses to go to Rabat / Mdina.
Charles Micallef
Feb 5th 2010, 15:20
When are the repairs to the ramps on the newly re-tarmaced Salina parts of the Coast Road taking place?
Joann Bugeja
Feb 5th 2010, 15:03
@ Joseph Borg- Don't you know that Naxxar road has been recently revamped?! Immaqdru biss !!!
M Farrugia
Feb 5th 2010, 14:44
Fully agree with R.Sciberras with regard to Siggiewi road, Ta' Kandja area. This road is in such a bad state that usual frequent users are avoiding it. It's cheaper to use more fuel (more harm to the environment) and drive to Qormi in order to head north, than to pay for any damages which might develop. If this road and another small stretch leading from Siggiewi to Rabat (old road) are properly resurfaced, many drivers from the south would use this route when heading north - meaning less cars on major arterial roads.
Paul Barrett
Feb 5th 2010, 14:22
Regular maintenance, he said, was as important as the construction of roads.
Not if the maintenance is done to the appalling standard achieved in the repair of the holes at Kennedy Grove. The recently badly repaired road has holes appearing in the repair of the repair of the repair. This stretch should be ripped up and re-laid (at the contractors expense) with the correct quality pavement and this time perhaps the contractor would consider making the repair the same height at the rest of the road, it is more like a roller coaster at the moment.
R.Sciberras
Feb 5th 2010, 14:16
it's good to have arterial roads being built from scratch, and Valletta Rd truly surely needed this investment, as much as Ta' Kandja Rd (SAG Area) from Mqabba to Siggiewi requires since it qualifies to one of the worst roads in Malta. Also, what about residential roads that were supposed to be ready by 2008? Dun Nerik Mahoney Rd in Qrendi is one of them. The only entrance for residents is through a very narrow street which makes it almost impossible for emergency services to gain access should there be any accident in the area. I have been trying to contact ADT personell for the last months but to no avail. No one answers my emails. ADT please take note!
Joseph Borg
Feb 5th 2010, 14:06
"The works will include the installation of a storm water culvert, the reconstruction and realignment of the road, all the services, including electricity and water, and street lighting and traffic signs." WELLDONE! Maybe it would be wise to look into any building permits at Mepa as from now, so as to avoid lacerations of such a road soon after completion...
The "total of €60 to €80 million" seems to be allow quite a variation in costs! Is this figure meant to permit any unexpected run-offs? Recent stories are still fresh in mind...
The minister mentioned many roads which need repairs / rebuilding indeed. While at it, has any minister thought of Naxxar Road, in the Balzan - Birkirkara area? Such a busy artery... full of bumps, potholes and whatever else... It's such a pity that ministers don't have to care about their cars' damages, whilst we, poor taxpayers, have to - in addition to our endless payments to Transport Malta!