Kappara residents have asked an engineer to come up with alternative road plans to the proposed spaghetti junction, which threatens to ruin the value of their properties and put their health at risk.

One resident, who preferred not be named, said his property, valued at €500,000 in recent years, had been rendered practically unsalable by the proposed plans. The €25 million multilevel junction, aimed at easing traffic at this major intersection, will include a flyover on Regional Road. However, the flyover will reach the level of the houses, which have so far been at least two stories above street level and which were not designed to face a road.

Most of the upmarket residences have gardens, a few with pools, which will now be exposed to the gaze of passing drivers. The bedrooms would also be exposed to traffic and fumes.

The design commissioned by the residents eliminates the need for the flyover and proposes underground slip roads and a smaller version of the roundabout beneath street level. The present road, leading from the university to Paceville, can be reconstructed at the present level.

John Azzopardi, who forms part of a committee set up by Kappara and Gżira residents to combat the proposed plans, said theirs would not only solve the bottleneck created by the present roundabout used by around 70,000 motorists a day but also keep the residents happy.

"We are not against the project. On the contrary, we want something done to solve the problem once and for all. However, we believe there is an alternative to the proposed flyover, which would see cars passing just a few metres away from our bedroom windows. And this apart from the devaluation of our properties and the expropriation of land on the Gżira side," Mr Azzopardi told The Times.

He said the residents had commissioned a Maltese engineer working in South Africa to come up with an alternative and would like the authorities to consider these fresh plans, which are in the final stages of being drawn up. According to experts, he said, the new design would cost much less than the earmarked €25 million.

Apart from the flyover over the Kappara roundabout, Transport Malta's proposals include structural improvements to the Ġużè Ellul Mercer Bridge, and an underpass for pedestrians.

The EU-funded project is aimed at doing away with the gridlock that occurs on the thoroughfares converging on the roundabout. Several attempts to solve the problem over the years have failed, including the installation of traffic lights.

The multilevel junction has been in the offing since the early 1990s and planning authority permits for a previous design had already been issued. The project was later ditched for the re-building of Għadira Road.

However, since the latter involved commissioning a number of studies, Malta would have missed the deadline to apply for EU funds. So the government decided to switch the two initiatives in terms of priority, which both form part of Malta's section of the trans-European network.

Mr Azzopardi said the residents had also written to the European Commission, primarily objecting to the fact that this project would negatively affect residents, the value of their property, and their health, in view of increased pollution, and the level of noise.

Letters have also been sent to President George Abela, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Transport Minister Austin Gatt and Finance Minister Tonio Fenech.