Traffic flow to the south of Malta has returned to normal after yesterday's mayhem following an accident in Aldo Moro Road, Marsa, which saw the eight-lane road closed for hours after an excavator crashed into a footbridge.

The accident happened at around 12.45 p.m. and the last two lanes of the north-bound carriageway were reopened to traffic at about 9 p.m.

The bridge has remained closed but traffic wardens have been posted near it to stop traffic whenever people need to cross the busy road. Many people are going to the nearby Marsa Sports Club for the Puttino Cares football marathon.

Carmel Pule' said he saw the accident as it unfolded in Marsa yesterday..

"I was right behind the truck with the gigantic machine on it. I was going to overtake it on the left using the bus lane, but some internal disciplined spirit told me not to. I was about 25 metres behind and I saw the jib of the machine hit the bridge whereby the jib held on the bridge while the whole machine swung to the left and as the truck kept going the machine slid to the left on to the ground.

"I saw the bridge shake and a lot of concrete fell down on to the road. I swerved to the right driving close to the truck which had stopped about 15 metres down the road. I had time to have a quick glance to the left to see the driver opening the cabin door. He looked so dismayed for he had realised what had happened. Luckily he was moving very slow, for if he did, I am sure that I would not be writing this."

The road was closed for a safety inspection of the bridge and and tailbacks immediately built up.

Some people reported having missed flights, Others missed exams and hospital appointments. Students from De La Salle College who live in the North arrived hours after leaving school.

Many fumed not just that the accident could happen in the first place, but that emergency traffic management had failed.

As expected, many vented their anger in timesofmalta.com comments.

Mario Scicluna, like many others, said it was unacceptable that most of the country was brought to a standstill because of one traffic accident.

Philip Mamo complained that the police lacked an emergency traffic management plan.

Dr Emmy Bezzina said lack of discipline, chaos and confusion that reigned were supreme. He said he left the prisons at 3pm following an appointment there.He arrived in Valletta almost four hours later.

Matthew Borg thanked God for his motorbike.

Mary Frances Fisher said she left Mellieha at 3.45p.m for the airport and in 20 minutes arrived at Zebbug where the snarl-up started. She arrived at the airport at 6.40 but her passenger made it to the flight because the captain had been able to delay the flight by half an hour as only half the passengers had turned up.

Marika Baldacchino said flights were delayed because pilots and crew were also stuck in traffic. She spent four hours in the traffic and went through Paola, Tarxien, Marsa, Sta Lucia, Luqa, Qormi, Zurrieq and Siggiewi.

Kristine Bonnici missed a 2 p.m. funeral mass at the Addolorata chapel because it took over two hours to get there from Sliema. After leaving the back entrance of the cemetery, it took her family till 6pm to get back home.

"I honestly shudder to think what would happen if a major accident were to take place in Malta. The country was literally at a standstill today. Do we have a national contingency plan for a major crisis and will it work? Someone needs to take responsibility for the decisions taken today," she said.

Gennaro Camilleri, who lives in San Gwann, said his son usually returned home from De La Salle at 3 p.m. Yesterday he returned at 7 p.m.

Christine Bright said that living in Malta is a real adventure!

"First we spent a week discussing the Luqa monument, then we spent another week discussing the Pope's visit, now we will spend another week discussing the way people's lives are confused because of one accident and lack of coordination.

"Someone should publish the man's name, build a monument for him and ask the pope to come and bless Malta again. Oh I forgot!! and create a Facebook page too!!"

She also forgot the power cuts...

Moira Frendo was unable to reach the University from Qrendi and went back home several hours after trying. She reported having seen tourists running with their luggage to the airport in order not to miss their flights.

"Imagine a tourist being stranded here for a week due to the volcanic ash and then missing the flight again to the traffic..."

C. Palm said tourists who were meant to return to a cruise ship due to leave at 6 p.m. were stranded at Sta Lucia.

N.Azzopardi, from Qrendi spent three hours on the road trying to get home. Finally, just a short distance away from his destination, a traffic policeman appeared out of nowhere and ordered the trail of cars to turn back to take another route close to Dar tal-Providenza and Ghar Lapsi adding another 5 kilometres to the journey!!!!

Like others, he hoped the taxpayers would not be made to foot the bill for the bridge repairs.

Kevin Crockford hoped that the relevant authorities would realise that there was a problem and appropriate measures would need to be taken so that if and when a similar thing happened, there would not be all this chaos again.

"This incident has caused great inconvenience and loss of earnings and could have had far reaching effects on people having urgent need of medical care. If this had happened in peak summer, it might also have caused heat related problems to the very young and the very old, so any measures planned should also take this into consideration and appropriate supplies provided."

While most were highly critical of the police, some did spring to their defence.

Patrick Mifsud said the police were on site immediately and they did their best to solve the traffic problem.

The traffic, he said, was caused by egoistic people who despite seeing the traffic lights red still keep on going and blocked everywhere. "Even near roundabouts, these egoistic people kept on moving despite the fact that they knew that they would block the traffic. In Marsa one of the police was literally risking his life because he was in the middle of the road and trying to divert the traffic but a lady, despite being directed to stop, kept on going nearly hitting the policeman.

"It is not fair to blame the police. So who do you want to resign? What about the driver of the truck who kept the excavator so high that it did not pass from under the bridge?

And there was some humour amid the mayhem. Ruben Gatt suggested the authorities could use the Luqa monument to support the Marsa bridge...

See all the comments at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100423/local/crane-collides-with-december-13-road-bridge

Blog - TRAFFIC ISLAND - http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20100424/andrew-borg-cardona/traffic-island