Fiona Galea Debono
Study on Gozo tunnel
‘Undersea tunnel feasible technically and financially’
Examples to follow... The Eiksund is the world’s deepest subsea tunnel at 287 metres below sea level, providing a link between the Norwegian mainland and Hareidlandet Island.
The government will commission a feasibility study on the proposal to build an underwater tunnel between Malta and Gozo.
Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said has proposed the immediate launch of in-depth technical and financial assessments of the tunnel idea, which he is promoting.
Asked whether the government would commission such a study and who would do it, a spokesman only said a report would be drawn up.
The commissioning of a study is also what an informal group, which has been researching the project for the last year, wants. One of its members, Gozitan businessman Joseph Borg, who has been lobbying for the need of a “permanent link” for over a decade, maintained the report would have been done privately had the government not accepted to commission it. He also said private investment was available.
“The discussion has started and, now that the study will be conducted, we will have achieved what we wanted, irrespective of its findings,” he said.
The initiative was about ensuring Gozo benefited from and contributed to the country’s economy as much as possible, which was not the case now, he said, adding that “those who do not agree are not representative of the situation”.
Mr Borg is also worried about the near future – after the Gozo Channel ferries’ lifespan runs out in a maximum of 15 years.
“About a year ago, we discovered that subsea tunnels do not cost the earth. Of course, we need a specific study on the costs, which would be subject to change, depending on what we find below,” he said.
So far, a tentative figure of €150 million has been mentioned by Dr Said but not everyone has bought it.
Mr Borg insists the project is feasible, both technically and financially, based on international reports of similar constructions and the experiences of other countries. The 7.9-kilometre long Bomlafjord tunnel in Norway, for example, cost $61 million, he said.
A report on the Preliminary Feasibility Considerations on the Development of a Subsea Tunnel Between Gozo and Malta, which he drafted based on meetings with other businessmen and Dr Said, considers the construction of a 10-kilometre-long, three-lane tunnel at a depth of up to 100 metres, envisaged to last up to 150 years and requiring as little as eight minutes to traverse.
It takes into consideration a minimum rock cover of about 50 metres – the maximum in any of the undersea tunnels considered – and the 30 metres depth of the sea in the straight line between Malta and Gozo.
Among other advantages the tunnel would offer, according to the report, is relatively cheaper maintenance costs, the fact it would not disturb the isolation of Comino and that some roads would be relieved of traffic, with access points being inland.
It also argues the tunnel would be an ideal solution because it is the “most environment-friendly option since it in no way disturbs the seabed”.
That point is contested by environmentalist Alan Deidun and described as “hogwash”, especially when considering the blasting and trenching it involves, which would turn parts of it into a construction site.
Dr Deidun, a lecturer at the University’s Physical Oceanography Unit, said the area in question included a number of protected marine habitats, such as caves and reefs.
He said it was “a pity that whoever floated the idea in the first place did not even bother to include marine ecology considerations in the equation.
“One cannot fathom how such a hullabaloo is being stirred about the offshore wind farm, which is sorely needed, while few objections are being raised about the proposed tunnel.”
Experts have given it a lukewarm response and some shot it down, maintaining it is simply not feasible.
The report insists it is “important to define the geological and hydrogeological conditions that must be determined by investigation in situ to confirm the feasibility, the type of work and the optimum mode of execution”.
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91 Comments
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Peter Delia
Feb 9th 2011, 18:01
Krickey! Of course we need a tunnel. If the sea gets rough the island of Malta will be marooned....
Ivan Attard
Feb 6th 2011, 18:45
Dream on. Chris Said should be ashamed of pumping up delusional hope to Gozitan businessmen who want to ruin Gozo beyond recognition - and just because election time is drawing near and he wants to get a leap-start ahead of Giovanna in the race!
Dream, dream on whoever thinks this ludicrous and outrageously financially and feasibility challenged proposal will get off the proverbial drawing board!
Noel Cutajar
Feb 6th 2011, 17:15
It-tunnel bejn Malta u Ghawdex diga jezisti...hares lejn il-but u tara d-dawl minn naha ghall-ohra!!
JOSEPH MUSCAT
Feb 6th 2011, 13:38
'GEORGE GAUCHI,the Panama canal was digged well before the Lincoln tunnel, and the u.s.a.used huge mashines,for escavating and so on.
Pule' Carmel
Feb 6th 2011, 12:49
Engineers can take any challenge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdsHPjmUC14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9Fg0yUk3-Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D3nX42cmg4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVLQ61uSE48
C Falzon
Feb 6th 2011, 22:58
The issue is not the engineering but the money to pay for it. The challenges of building a tunnel between Malta and Gozo are trivial when compared to various projects undertaken by other countries, but then so is our budget.
As the Maltese saying goes 'Bil-flus tibni triq fil-bahar', quite literally in this case. The 'flus' is the bit that we don't have.
karl Consiglio
Feb 6th 2011, 11:45
We don't need it, not even Italy and Sicily got one, they use the ferry. Use the money to fix our roads!
E.Cini
Feb 6th 2011, 07:34
Nisperaw li ma naslux sal- punt li tkun xi weghda elettorali!
simon cutajar
Feb 6th 2011, 18:25
Naqbel mieghek perfetamnet !
U minn jahseb din mhix xi hrafa bhal tal- " crafts village ta' ta'ta Qali " u l- progett tal vapur ta' ghawdex fic- cirkewwa , sejjer zbaljat ! Dan kif f' daqqa wahda filli qedin inmutu bil- guh bid- dejn li kielna , issa f' daqqa wahda gej gid u mana , kolla qed jaqaw mis- sema . Ma nafx kief hawn iktar nies jemnu dak li jintqal mill- politikanti li hawn imdawwrin maghna ! Jahasra tibqawx tibilaw kollox !
Anthony White
Feb 5th 2011, 22:42
How many more excuses for the friends of friends to put more money in their pockets?
Can someone please find an excuse to put some in my pocket?
The country is going to be bankrupt in a short space of time. BUT it looks that is what the government is trying anyway, so whats new?
C.Baldachino
Feb 5th 2011, 08:28
A tunnel would be a real good deal if we only had to fork out 150 million euros compared to the 5 billion euros for an 18 kilometer tunnel under the Ferhmarn belt.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,743151,00.html
Mario Casha
Feb 5th 2011, 08:05
Prosit to Dr Christ Said for this initiative. You have all my encouragement and I can assure you that many Gozitans and Maltese who have interest in Gozo feel the same.....keep on pushing. Gozo needs a fixed link.
Charles Vella
Feb 5th 2011, 00:32
It is time that Gozo should have a reliable connection. The mayority of maltese people does not understand this requirement as they do come to Gozo for holiday only, once in a while. For Gozitans it is a different story, for some of them who work daily in Malta it means hours of wait despite weather conditions and further expenses. They dont even think of at what time gozitan wake up and at what time they return home. One of the reasons the work in Gozo has been going down is because of this ureliable link apart of other issues, despite the fact that salaries in Gozo are far less then those in Malta. It has been long time now that Gozitan are paying taxes and without having the same benefits if the maltese people. We are living in 2011 and still this discrimination. The mayority of this has been done in Malta even tough gozitan pay taxes as well. Take an example the hospital. If a gozitan is seriously ill he has to come to Malta. It woyld take some 6 hours to his relative to make a visit, while for a maltese it would take 2 hours.
Eric Mamo
Feb 4th 2011, 21:32
The spall from the tunnel can be shipped on barges and serve to reclaim land at Bahar ic-caghaqq to form a yaucht marina with a hotel on reclaimed land. oops there is probably a species of shrimp no one ever saw before so lets waste all thaat spall and dump it on pristine sea botom neaar the tunnel ssite instead.
victor pulis
Feb 5th 2011, 09:28
Of course that's what we need. Another yacht marina.
John Abela
Feb 4th 2011, 20:15
Joseph Scerri
Feb 4th 2011, 20:00
let's do some maths:
To finish reginal road = ages
To finish Cirkewwa Terminal = ages
To finish tunnel between Malta and Gozo = ???
Joe Scerri
Simon Mizzi
Feb 4th 2011, 19:13
Maltese profess into being cynical and obtuse. At the expense of a romantic dream, that anyway won't be ruined by a tunnel, some of you are just happy to hold the Gozitan folk at ransom of a ferry that may or may not depart any odd day. Then off we go with the usual unfounded stereotypes that Gozitans don't pay taxes,that Gozitans are a minority not worth spending money on etc etc. Bigotry at its best. This is an interesting and sound proposal. It is financially viable as anywhere else in the world. Let's not be fooled here, this is not some engineering feat of biblical proportions that can't be implemented. So don't expect this to be on National Geographic's Megastructures. It is routine business in other countries that just get down to business, plan, study, build and deliver on time and within budget. Deidun's argument is completely skewed. As any big project his oceanographic concerns will most probably be addressed in an environmental impact assessment. One cannot expect a proposal to be suggested and blurt out oceanography because that is what is on his mind. I'm sure his qualms will be addressed.
ninu zammit
Feb 4th 2011, 19:03
The tunnel project must be incorporated with the restructuring of the national public transport while keeping in mind ECO GOZO. A Metro from Victoria to the south of Malta with three or four bus termini along the route where schedule bus service for those regions is provided. Because of such a system Gozitans working in Malta can reach the farthest working place in less than 45 minutes. In the meantime less vehicles will be on Gozo roads.
G Vella
Feb 4th 2011, 19:53
Very well said !!
David Bonello
Feb 6th 2011, 13:19
now that's some sensible forward thinking.....unfortunately we all prefer not to look beyond our noses.
Franco J Scicluna
Feb 4th 2011, 18:49
Adrian Wirth
Feb 4th 2011, 18:41
Given a blank cheque virtually any engineering challenge is feasible. A tunnel to Gozo is feasible but at what cost? Cost isn't simply the construction cost but includes infrastructure to and from the tunnel and associated social, economic and environmental costs arising both in the short and long term. Hopefully the promoters acknowledge the significant technical challenges arising from the the structure of the rock fractures running across the route of the tunnel. However a tunnel of this length shall for safety reasons require not one but at least two parallel tunnels - the second for emergency access and maintenance. After the horrific St. Gottard Tunnel inflagration I recall regulations for road tunnels in Europe were reviewed increasing overall project costs. Perhaps I'm wrong but could it be that tunnels allowing vehicles traveling in both directions through the same tube are now prohibited in the EU? If so possibly three tunnels are required at significantly higher cost. The rules for road tunnels could be under European Trunk Road Regulations 'TEN-T'. Presumably the promoters intend this section to be a part Malta's 'TEN-T' trunbk road no doubt using a grant under ERDF/ESF 80/20% EU/Malta grant ratio, thus changing the sums considerably.
Darren Buttigieg
Feb 4th 2011, 18:20
This is great in theory but will be far more difficult in practice. Due to the slope the entraces will be further inland, probably towards the open area between Xewkija and Victoria, and in the Malta-side towards the eastern edge of Mellieha.
fred fellon
Feb 4th 2011, 17:50
If they got so much cash laying around, why not fix the streets of GOZO and a new breakwater in Marsalforn, doesn't Mr Said ever walk the streets of Gozo especially Victoria.
E Gatt
Feb 4th 2011, 17:49
How about financing the project by introducing VAT to Gozo?
M. Camilleri
Feb 4th 2011, 17:40
To all those that are always arguing AGAINST a bridge or tunnel. At the moment its 17.35 and the ferry scheduled to Gozo at 17.15 didnt leave yet. Thats what it means using te 'excellent' service provided by Gozo Channel! having an appointment scheduled from weeks before and because of the ferry you have to go late. Mind you, this delay is not something rare. It occurs on a regular basis. So before daring to say 'no' for a tunnel or bridge, I invite you to use the ferry daily. Then you will surely change your mind.
david debattista
Feb 4th 2011, 18:11
My wife has to go to work everyday and it takes her I hour going and one hour coming by train and sometimes it is -10 at 0.5 am . I am from Gozo so stop trying to make a point when you don"t have one. People like you have no idea just how easy you have it !!!!!!!! So what if it is late
such thinks do happen . Are we to build a tunnel just because some Mr Camilleri has to wait 15
minutes. Even in Germany we have delays especially when the railways get frozen and you have to wait . So stop your grumbling and think how luck you are, and how easy you have it .
SO MUCH FOR YOUR VOTE!
Franco Farrugia
Feb 4th 2011, 18:15
But that's just it: let's once again revamp Gozo Channel Co. Ltd and make it offer an excellent service, instead of ruining that beautiful island with a fixed wing aircraft or a bridge or tunnel. What I find perplexing is that Malta - ie the Government - has no problem throwing money away like this, but when it comes to managing our road-system in Malta, in a way that the country doesn't stop working whenever it rains, there is either no money or no solution! These things do not make sense. Where are our priorities? Or, so much rain-water is lost and then we make up for it by using electricity in order to produce water from the sea. Again, does this make sense? Again, where are our priorities? You see what I mean? The priorities are wrong. Something tells me that these issues are raised from time to time to allienate people from the most important issues at hand. Even the issue of divorce is thus abused.
G Vella
Feb 4th 2011, 18:35
M. Camilleri
Feb 4th 2011, 23:37
@Mr. Debattista - you can stay in Germany as much as you want. Its because of people like you that Gozo never improved. If trains over there are delayed its because of freezing temperatures. Can you say why the ferry is always late?? so enjoy your life in Germany and the efficient public transport, and let us Gozitans face the problems and.try to come up with a realistic solution.
Charles Vella
Feb 5th 2011, 01:01
@ mr debattista.
I think he have a point. 2 hours train is not so much. If you need to go to Valletta it takes one hour by bus, 35 min ferry and some 10 to 45 min waiting at Cirkewwa. All this times Twice. So I think he have a point. And all this in cristal clear weather. If it will be windy probably you will not make it because the ferries wont work.
A.Grech
Feb 6th 2011, 08:48
Well sad,on the same day the previus ferry, i.e. the 15.45 departed at 16.03! what an effiency, but for the Maltese its not a problem because they were on holiday, but for the gozitans using the ferry daily is another increased hardship.
David Bonello
Feb 6th 2011, 13:23
@david debattista.
so now you confirmed and made public to everyone that you do not only give a damn about gozitans, but even about your wife.
martin frendo
Feb 4th 2011, 17:26
the idea is quite realistic as long as it creates and generate within a given timeframe the revenues for equity invested and longer term economic expansions. one needs a clear vision and a way foward . ferry services will still be in need (maybe more if economic expansion is directed towards gozo) and of course no visual impact on the enviorment. maybe a toll can be levied for the upkeep and maintenance of said tunnel.
Joe Scicluna
Feb 4th 2011, 17:10
Why not get expertise from these people who are very environmentally conscious?
Andrew Paris
Feb 4th 2011, 15:45
Massive waste of money. Fix Malta's electrical and water infustructure instead.
who are these people running the Government?
James A. Tyrrell
Feb 4th 2011, 15:41
The 7.9-kilometre long Bomlafjord tunnel in Norway is mentioned here at a cost of $61 million, but it must be remembered that this was started in 1997 and finished in 1999 so it would be quite a bit more in today's terms. Also in 2006/2007 the Bomlafjord Tunnel became littered with falling stone and clay and had to be closed for repair. Prior to that Norway's Finnfast and Hanekleiv tunnels suffered similar incidents. Having said that to say that the idea is simply not feasible is wrong as construction methods have moved on a lot from then.
Simon Mizzi
Feb 4th 2011, 19:16
Not necessarily true. Progress in materials engineering, construction methods for typically advanced structures (as is this case) might actually produce the reverse effect of reducing costs. True that inflationary costs will need to be correctly represented but most likely capital cost to actually build the thing will actually go down.
Andrew B. Gatt
Feb 4th 2011, 15:32
@ Brian Camilleri : I am not a tunnel expert. But how many actually are ? But something linking MALTA to GOZO needs to be done. Dr Chris Said's brilliant idea needs to be studied carefully. And action to be taken as soon as possible ! For the good of our islands, especially GOZO and the GOZITANS. ONCE AGAIN, PROSIT CHRIS !
A. Mercieca
Feb 4th 2011, 16:34
Certainly it was not Chris Said idea. Mr Gatt should go and read the article "Minding the Gap" on The Sunday Times of the 23rd January 2011 written by Dr Franco Mercieca. It was this article that has erupted this sleeping proposal for a permanent link between Malta and Gozo.
Brian Fenech
Feb 4th 2011, 15:15
Catching the ferry to go to Gozo is what makes it interesting to go to Gozo, adding the extra thrills for when it's rough seas ecc.. By doing this tunnel the trill of going to Gozo for a short holiday will dimish gradually, making it feel like u're just driving to another place in Malta.
Whilst it's good for daily travellers & for those who get seasick ecc, I do suggest that the Gozo Ferry will remain in use, and i guarantee that it will still be enjoyed by many tourists, & Maltese people like myself!!
Simon Mizzi
Feb 4th 2011, 19:19
Would it be thrilling for you to have the rough sea and incongruent service EVERY SINGLE DAY? This argument is reminiscent of the bus service. Some tourists used to tell us - don't change the old buses they are a characteristic not if you use them every day - it becomes a nuisance.
Want a thrill on rough sea - hire a boat.
A.Vella
Feb 5th 2011, 09:26
Mr Mizzi, want to avoid the rough sea? Hire a flat.
M Camilleri
Feb 4th 2011, 14:42
Kull min hu Malti u huwa kontra l-tunnel / jew bridge ma ghandux ghalfejn iparla u jindahal ghax qed jaghmel hafna hsara. Ghawdex ghandu bzonn ta dan it-tunnel. Jekk ghandkom kuxjenza tindunaw li Ghawdex ghandu bzonn ghajnuna u simpatija kbira ghax jinsab fi stat disastruz. Il-Maltin iparlaw ghax ma jafux u lanqas jirrispettaw dak li nghaddu minnu ahna l-Ghawdxin li nahdmu Malta biex immorru u nigu kuljum ghax xoghol.
U toqodux tghidu ghax ha nonfqu il-flus ghal 30,000 ruh.. IVA 30,000..Jew inkella, nipprotestaw biex nigibu lil Ghawdex regjun (kif suppost kellu jkun), u b'hekk il-fondi ta l-Ewropa li bhalissa tinsab tgawdi minnhom Malta nibdew nehduhom ahna kif kien suppost fil bidu. Ghax Malta qieghda tgawdi mil-fondi tal-EU ghax Ghawdex jinsab f'ekonomija batuta u b'hekk ibaxxi l-GDP ta Malta b'tali mod li jikkwalifika ghal fondi. Mentri jekk Ghawdex isir regjun, Ghawdex jiehu il-fondi u Malta mux talli tiehu talli trid tikkontribwixxi!!!! Mela Malta qed tisraq lil Ghawdex mil-fondi tal-EU u min fuq issib xi erba Maltin galantomi li jirragunaw li mux worthit nonfqu EUR150m biex nibnu tunnel ghal 30,000 ruh!!!!!
Victor Paul Borg
Feb 4th 2011, 15:30
I am a Gozitan and I am firmly against this mad scheme.
Besides being a Gozitan, I am Maltese, and hence I have a say in everything that happens nationally - just as people in the main island also have a stake what happens in Gozo. Fact is that Gozo is the green lungs of the Maltese Islands, and it has to stay like that - for the sake of all Malta's population.
People like you live in a delusional reality, if you think that Gozo can be a separate region from Malta. It shows how insular many Gozitans are - I suggest you go live in bigger countries, as I have done, and that way develop some sense of proportion about the importance/size of Gozo in the large scheme of things.
www.victorborg.com
anthony pace gouder
Feb 4th 2011, 16:26
Jahasra, jiddisspjacini imma ma rid noffendi lil hadd , izda jkolli nghaid il-gzejjer taghna huma zar wisq, li tibni mina daqstant twila u l-ispiza ghalija ,zgur aktar milli ntqal , biex taqadd tmien mili ma sbatax ma taghmilx sens . Ara li konna IMQAR GHAXAR Darbiet akbar ,kienet tkun justifikata . Id-distanzi huma QOSRA wisq .
Dan li studju huwa kollu hela u moghodija biz-zmien. Chris .....inti li tokkupa hatra li thaddan fija il 'Konsultazzjoni Pubblika' kif qieghed tinjora dak li qalu min tassew jifhem u tkellmu car .
brian camilleri
Feb 4th 2011, 14:34
hmmm suddenly lots of tunnel experts!!!!!
lmercieca
Feb 4th 2011, 13:38
Hope it actually materialises, gozitans have had enough of the multi million projects done in Malta. Using the same arguments as below, from a gozitan point of view the Valletta project is useless just to mention one, so is Ta Qali park and who cares about the flooding in Msida, Bkara etc....
This connection is badly needed so for once Gozitans will no longer be relegated lower than the Maltese counterparts...
Thumbs up to Dr. Said who sees with his own eyes as he boards the morning ferry every morning.
j.spiteri
Feb 4th 2011, 21:32
Quote: relegated lower than the Maltese counterparts... interesting....so how come you pay €1.15 and I pay €4.65 for the fare on foot and you pay €8.15 and I €15.70 by car on the ferry? Please enlighten us!
Victor Paul Borg
Feb 4th 2011, 13:36
I am a Gozitan writer who has the confidence of informants placed in all bodies. So let me reveal the thinking of these so-called business and tourism groups in Gozo:
These business people think they can make Gozo flourish into something of a city-state, with a thriving industry, yachting super-hub in the Med, international airport, golf courses, and so on. This is why they keep hankering for golf courses, bridge or tunnel, airport, more upscale hotels, yacht marinas, and so on.
The problem with these people is that they are (1) delusional - they forget that Gozo doesn't have the expertise in workforce and location-competitiveness (as an isolated island) needed for their grand schemes; (2) stuck in the mindset of the twentieth century (ie, their schemes for development would have the opposite of the desired effect, as Gozo's only resource is its culture and rural ethos/landscapes and with their schemes they will destroy Gozo's attractiveness in the first place).
What I find shocking is that a young politician like Chris Said reckons that he can further his overly ambitious political career by championing such sumptuous scheme.
www.victorborg.com
anthony pace gouder
Feb 4th 2011, 18:07
Apparently , they are SHORT-SIGHTED ! An 'easy-cross' Tunnel may have a contrary effect. Regarding tourism , accomodation etc. prices in Gozo would have to be cheaper , for obvious reasons , to those in Malta , especially Mellieha , and St. Pauls Bay!
Lola Casado
Feb 4th 2011, 13:32
No please, I wouldn´t a tunnel in Malta, when I go to Gozo I love enjoy the landscape, not shut in a tunnel.
fred fellon
Feb 4th 2011, 13:04
If Dr Said has so much cash to invest in a tunnel between Gozo & Malta why nor repave all the roads and build a proper breakwater in Marsalforn instead, please do use cement this time around. Why is Gozo being kept is such a deplorable state? Gozo deserves better after all Gozo is the pivotal vote in any election.
JFarrugia
Feb 4th 2011, 12:45
Yeah like were really going to trust you to build a tunnel under the sea when you can even fix the leak in the Sta Venera ones (and no putting up plastic sheets with a plastic brain pipe isn't fixing it).
How about fixing the tunnels we have at the moment there a disgrace, bad lighting, dirty walls, bad tarmac,get some white paint or tiles on the walls some proper lights cats eyes in the middle, your raking enough money in from the license fee Mr Minister.
J. Vella
Feb 4th 2011, 14:51
'Plastic brain pipe'.
Now that's one hell of a nicely made Freudian slip. : )
Paul Caruana
Feb 4th 2011, 15:35
J. Vella not really, because these harebrained ideas really do come from the brain of the likes of those proposing them and therefore they dripped from their brain through a brain pipe.
D Galea
Feb 4th 2011, 12:18
I wonder where such negative comments come from, for such a positive project... Let me guess: they must come from persons who have never had a personal experience of travelling daily, through no choice of their own, for work, studies or medical treatments etc... ( I dont mean holidays )or never had children who have passed through a similar experience, or are destined to a similar ordeal. Why these people never complain when tunnels and fly overs are proposed for Malta, is beyond me...
John Portelli
Feb 4th 2011, 12:06
WE need to ask ourselves if this type of project is feasible - economically and financially viable as well as whether it can actually be done based on the depth of the sea between Malta and Gozo. It doesn't matter if we can start it from this point or that, but the depth of the sea between Malta and Gozo does not make it feasible. The cost quoted is a joke. I read about tunnels less than the one between Malta and Gozo and it usually placed around $1,000,000,000 not 150 million euros. WE need to be reasonable and sensible about this whole thing. Continuous ferry service today is adequate and quick as well. An added airlink is the other best option, especially for travellers who must connect to early flights in the morning to various European cities . By having a sustainable airlink, is the way forward and let's stop kidding ourselves with these other projects that are not feasible.
Ramon Mangion
Feb 4th 2011, 12:02
le sew dal pajjiz ta. Hawn dal problemi kollha , ( ezmpju car balzan, msida etc,,, bix xita) u ghax qal kelma negozjant, ha ninpalaw xeba euro l-xi konsulent biex jaghmel rapport... u noholmu bil-mina. Lanqas ghaddew 3 gimghat min mindu tkellem dal-bazuzlu, negozjant
Charles Sammut
Feb 4th 2011, 11:56
".....a 10-kilometre-long, ..............requiring as little as eight minutes to traverse."
That's an average speed of 75 kph. Maltese drivers are not considered competent enough to drive at over 60kph on a four lane, dual carriageway road, never mind in a narrow two way tunnel, 100 metres below the seabed. I can imagine the sign at the entrance. "STOP ENGINE - PUSH CAR"
If you're going to BS, at least try to be credible.
This waffle will go the same way as the Gozo airstrip. And just as well too, I prefer my taxes get spent on filling some potholes and laying some decent grippy tarmac instead of the polished ice strips that pass as roads.
Karl Abela
Feb 4th 2011, 12:45
You couldnt have said it better. Maltese drivers are the the most incompetent in the world.
We are now officially classified as having the best weather in the world yet we still crash out more than those countries that are plagued with snow or rain for most of the year.
The argument that our roads are substandard is just a convienent scape goat to push the blame away from ourselves. Most accidents happened on the newer and faster roads.
M.Spiteri
Feb 4th 2011, 11:38
What about the spoil heap from the digging? I hope you have a solution where to dump it on the Gozo side as Malta is already full of construction debris - or do the Maltese have to take the brunt of this too?
J. Spiteri
Feb 4th 2011, 11:29
At first I thought the picture shows the tunnel at Sta.Venera or Tal-Qroqq with new, badly needed, lights !!!
anthony pace gouder
Feb 4th 2011, 11:27
> Mr. Borg, the Gozitan Chamber of Commerce and PS Dr.C Said should read this and UNDERSTAND why the Bomlafjord Tunnel , cited by Mr. Borg was 'feasible' and makes Sense !
> http://www.tunnelandgeoconsult.com/Bomlafjord%20
1) ......with its large developed industry and CENTRAL position
2) .....an important supplier to Norway's FLOURISHING OIL indu
3) ..... connects an extensive, THOUSANDS of kilometers, Scandinavian Road Network and is part of European Route E39
4) ....a seismic survey indicated a major fault which determined the DEPTH of the tunnel.
5) .... in rock of good quality that facilitates eexcavation and very little water LEAKAGE .
6 ).... construnction started after LONG painstaking studies and surveys
anthony pace gouder
Feb 4th 2011, 14:14
@a pace gouder (correction) Why Norway built the Tunnel to the island of Foyno.
TRY : > http:/www.tunnelandgeoconsult.com/Bomlafjord%20TT.pdf
victor pulis
Feb 4th 2011, 11:24
He(Dr. Alan Deidun) said it was “a pity that whoever floated the idea in the first place did not even bother to include marine ecology considerations in the equation.
The person who came up with the idea is a businessman. That explains a lot.
How was the figure of 150 euro arrived at with no geological tests being conducted?
The tunmnel in norway cannot be brought as an example because the conditions are probably different. (For example, malta lies very close to the Eurasian tectonic plate where seismic activity is high.) The cost can only be determined after all test and studies have been completed and even then it will only be a tentative figure as we learn from all the projects undertaken so far.
David Caruana
Feb 4th 2011, 11:13
This is the life of illusion
Wrapped up in trouble laced with confusion
What we doing here?
Sergio Vassallo
Feb 4th 2011, 15:36
David Caruana I think it's more delusion than an illusion.
Herman Meilak
Feb 5th 2011, 08:49
Bravo David, taking lyrics from a Frankie Valli song and making them yours.
Please be more original.
Alf Galea
Feb 4th 2011, 11:10
News about the Norwegian tunnel in 2009. Fatal accident in Eiksund tunnel. 2 cars caught fire after an accident and five people died. Because of the intense heat and smoke and heavy damage, it took weeks before the tunnel re-opened.
yes accidents happen everywhere, but if God forbid, something similar happens half way down the tunnel, than we have to be prepared.
C Pace
Feb 4th 2011, 11:01
The joke of the year. First we raped Malta, now we are turning to Gozo. We were all thinking Gozo was going to be the 'eco island' by 2015. But it was just wishful thinking.
david debattistad
Feb 4th 2011, 10:14
Will the ships still run or are we forced to use the tunnel irrespective of the cost to cross over to Gozo. We all know how people like you think! Lets hope all this will not turn back on you and bite all of us in the POO POO bad! Anything is feasible in GOZO we all know it, even if it will destroy the island eventually. But people like you, your kind, see it for what it is, just making money it is in your blood even if Gozo as we all know it is lost forever. SAd very Sad!
W. Cauchi
Feb 4th 2011, 10:09
Been through the Lincoln Tunnel, it is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long tunnel under the Hudson River to New York.
Wikipedia search says construction began on the first tube in March 1934. It opened to traffic on December 22, 1937, charging $0.50 per passenger car. The cost of construction was $85,000,000.
€85,000,000 in 1937, today's cost??............sorry ran out of zeros.......
George Gauchi
Feb 4th 2011, 15:51
You have to remember that in 1934-1937 everything was done by hand,now we are living in the year 2011 where everything is done by machines like for example TBMs (channel boring machines)and computers so that the TBMs could be properly navigated through the channel.
G. Gauci
Feb 4th 2011, 17:54
Yes a lot was done by hand, but not as much as you think. Remember this is America and what we are doing now, was standard in America decades ago. With regards to cost, people were also paid peanuts compared to today.
H Dempster
Feb 4th 2011, 09:55
Mr Gonzi , Mr Said , please stop wasting our money.
Chris Finch
Feb 4th 2011, 09:48
What a waste of time and money. THis is nothing but a smokescreen to a. get a popular gozo vote and b. distract us from the more serious issues of the condition of our roads in general, the fact that parliamentarians can't be bothered to do the job they are paid for, the ever increasing cost of living etc. etc. etc.
Stop wasting our time and money Mr Said on this white elephant that will never happen.
l fenech
Feb 4th 2011, 09:45
Jimla' ras-il poplu ghax riesqa l-elezzjoni issa l-angli jonqos.
tony fava
Feb 4th 2011, 09:43
Indeed a pipe dream. I would say it's a bit early to throw pepper in people's eyes. Poor Giovanna and Frederick.
James Dimech
Feb 4th 2011, 09:40
If this was a tunnel to London, Paris or Frankfurt - fine. But a tunnel to "Gozo"? This hefty expense is only going to benefit a minority. What are the people who live in Malta (who have to cough up most of the sum) going to get out of this ?
J Oatmon
Feb 4th 2011, 11:37
I would presume that the tunnel would be paid for by toll fees from traffic, and therefore the expense could be recovered over time, with those that use the tunnel most paying most.
As to the 'green environmentalists' fears of 'drastic seabed disturbance' this is not true - the tunnel (like the Channel tunnel) would be drilled to and from dry land only and the seabed would remain as it is.
George Mifsud
Feb 4th 2011, 17:31
Mr.Dimech Gozitans are also statistically known to be the lowest contributors to all forms of taxes. And I do not think this is a fact because they are underpriviliged or not on income par with their Maltese counterparts. And yet.......
David Caruana
Feb 6th 2011, 08:52
@James Dimech
Malta is one country. If any area moves forward it is for the benefit of all. To see it in another way, namely that by keeping the South deprived for instance it is better for us in the North, is plain stupid and only shows we are so short sighted. Malta is so small that we badly need a good infrastucture between and in all its parts. Gozo is yours too, maybe this is what you're not considering, just as Mellieha or M'Xlokk are. There is no us and them with a tunnel but a larger area for yourself for whatever reason you deem fit to enjoy.
Kevin Camilleri
Feb 4th 2011, 09:38
I think the country is already in bad state when it comes to finances. We do not need any more financial burden on the population!
The only way this could be feasible is letting the private sector build it, and own it, hence who opts to use it will pay the owner of the tunnel. However, considering the Gozitian population (who will benefit most from it) I cannot see any private company opting to take the risk! It is not feasible!
Charles Vella
Feb 5th 2011, 01:28
@ mr camilleri,
Dear sir, immagine that Malta is being governed by Sicily. Imagine that all big investments are all done in Sicily. Imagine that you have to travel everday to Sicily to work. Imagine if you or your family member get seriously ill you have to go to Sicily. Imagine you pay the same taxes as any other sicilian. Imagine no more, this all has been happening for gozitans, for ages, the only difference is less travelling distance.
r ferriggi
Feb 4th 2011, 09:34
I cannot understand how this bridge and tunnel jokes keep coming up.
i say jokes for many reasons:
1. financial?
2. technical?
3. the islands characteristics.
4. THE FACT THAT WITH GOZO CHANNEL OUT OF THE WAY and a little more competition, we can have a situation similar to most islands in the mediterranean. you will find ferries, catamarans and craft complementing each other all the time of the year.
if the gozitans want their island to become a jungle like malta by bridge or a tunnel,,,, this is another matter.
David Caruana
Feb 6th 2011, 08:46
Of course you cannot understand. We do understand though.
M Camilleri
Feb 4th 2011, 09:21
THE STUPID MARINE HABITATS NOWADAYS SEEM TO HAVE BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE STANDARD OF LIVING OF PEOPLE!!! SO SOME GUYS PREFER TO MAINTAIN A HABITAT FOR THE FIST AND LEAVE THE ISLAND'S ECONOMY IN A STATE OF DISASTER!! WHAT AN IRONY!!
NO TUNNEL?? THEN NO VOTE!!
D.Spiteri
Feb 6th 2011, 08:36
Very intelligent comment i must say! So is it ok if i come destroy your house and build a road through it? It's more convenient for me...
And no Dear M, it is not about destroying marine habitats, its about the lack of feasibility of the entire project. For a tunnel to be built underground, you need good ventilation, good management and most important safety protocols.
Laqas bicca tunnel ta santa venera konna kapaci insewwu ghax ghattejniha il problema... ahseb u ara jibda jqattar dan it tunnel!! Nahseb enough said!
George Debono
Feb 4th 2011, 09:09
This is a pipe dream Chris. Stop chasing votes, and making people hope that this tunnel will materialise. It never will.