Transport Malta is proposing doing away with its planned spaghetti junction to replace the Kappara roundabout and instead substitute it with two roundabouts on either side to facilitate intersections off the main road.
The proposal is to build a new road passing underneath Mikiel Anton Vassalli Street (the road leading from the University to Paceville) through the fields on each side.
The two roundabouts will be located on the San Ġwann and Gżira sides of Sliema Road in a project to be partially financed by EU funds.
A new road has to be built to bypass Enemalta’s new substation on the site, previously occupied by the Kappara gas tank since this land cannot be expropriated.
This option is considerably different to the one Transport Malta had originally proposed, which would have meant that the flyover would have been raised to the level of balconies and bedrooms of surrounding residences.
It is similar to the one proposed by a South Africa-based civil engineer married to a Maltese, who had been commissioned by the Kappara residents to draw up a different option to the original one proposed by the transport regulator.
Ernst Pinaar explained yesterday that his option would cost just 38 per cent of the estimated bill for the project and was a lot simpler to construct because it would not involve a lot of infrastructural work, which would create traffic deviations and traffic jams.
He said his design took into consideration several factors, including closure of the road and the delays this would cause.
Mr Pinaar calculated that, based on a traffic flow of 100,000 cars per day, a detour of one kilometre would result in an additional travelling distance of 100,000 kilometres with extra fuel consumption of 3.9 million litres and an estimated cost of €4.6 million. Moreover, a 10-minute delay would result in an approximate loss of 16,600 hours per day for those driving through.
Mr Pinaar, who prepared a model of his proposal, said he was not given the opportunity to show his designs to the transport authority. However, one of the options being considered by Transport Malta is very similar, with the only difference being that, instead of a raised road, the regulator is proposing an underpass that will go below the present road.
The other option being considered by the regulator is a roundabout with an overpass joining the main flow. The overpass joins the traffic in both directions in Mikiel Anton Vassalli Street. Slip roads will allow traffic interchange between Sliema Road and Mikiel Anton Vassalli Street.
A Transport Malta spokesman said various studies were being carried out on the two options. The studies, ranging from ecological to air quality, are part of the required environmental impact statement.
Solving the problem of the Kappara junction, a bottleneck and the cause of frustration for motorists, especially during rush hours, has been in the offing since the early 1990s. Several attempts failed, including the installation of traffic lights on the roundabout, which actually exacerbated the traffic problem.
Concerned about the devaluation of their property and a considerable increase in health risks, Kappara residents complained about the original proposals and commissioned Mr Pinaar to come up with an alternative.