Regional Road railing ‘not designed for impact’
Final report by mid-February
The concrete railings flanking the Regional Road bridge were not designed to take the impact of any vehicle, a roads architect and civil engineer has warned.
To add insult to injury, the railing has deteriorated and the concrete is flaking off the bridge, presenting a risk to motorists driving beneath, according to Claude Mallia, a specialist in road construction.
The railing, now crumbling in places, “wasn’t designed to stop the impact of a car”, and “even if it were new it would not have withstood the impact”.
“You can’t base safety on a guard rail like that,” the architect said, adding that was the job of crash barriers, which were designed to crumple and absorb impact. The railings came under the spotlight last month when a truck was left perched precariously over the underlying road when it broke through them after skidding.
The day after the accident Transport Minister Austin Gatt wrote to Transport Malta chairman Mark Portelli expressing concern and asking for an expert opinion.
Dr Gatt had said it was clear the accident “could have had far worse consequences and its outcome cannot be described as anything more comforting than a lucky escape”. He had called for recommendations on rectifying issues that could be identified.
The authority engaged Alex Torpiano, Dean of the Faculty for the Built Environment, to draw up a report on the condition of the bridge railings and provide recommendations on repair works to be carried out.
Transport Malta said: “It is envisaged the final report and recommendations will be submitted to Transport Malta by mid-February,” following which the works will be carried out.”
On the day of the accident, Philip Curmi, 41, was on his way to Ibraġ when the Toyota Dyna he was driving skidded, bumped into the bridge railing on his left as his truck gained momentum and then crashed out through the right hand side. This left him and his colleague Simon Azzopardi hanging until they were rescued by other drivers who stopped by to help.
The driver said he lost control when his double wheel got caught by a metal expansion gap, adding the road’s surface was so slippery that “even if you walked on it, you’d slip”.
The section of the road where the truck crashed is still closed off with concrete and high visibility barriers, restricting traffic directed to Paceville.
The work to fix the bridge is taking too long to start, according to traffic management consultant Hugh Arnett, who said that, in his opinion, the first thing TM should have done was install a heavy duty crash barrier along the side of the road the following day and then carry out an inquiry.
When told the report would be assessing “the condition of the bridge railings”, Mr Arnett chuckled, saying: “Bridge railings – that sums it all up, doesn’t it? You could go through those with a Smart car.
“They’re putting barriers everywhere, why don’t they go on and do it?”