A group of foreign experts arrived in Malta this weekend to start the feasibility study on linking Malta to Gozo.

The experts from Mott MacDonald are looking at all options, including a bridge and an underwater tunnel between the two islands, with their report expected to be concluded by October.

The study is being fully financed by the Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions (Jaspers), which helped in the preparation of major projects which had been submitted for grant financing under the Structural and Cohesion Funds.

Sources close to the EU institution told The Sunday Times the study will probe the feasibility of a form of connection linking Gozo to mainland Malta – be it a bridge or a subsea tunnel.

The only operating link between the two islands is a ferry service operated by Gozo Channel Company Ltd.

Other possible links include helicopter and seaplane but these are either expensive or unpredictable.

The proposal for a subsea tunnel gathered pace last year after the subject was raised by eye surgeon Franco Mercieca and businessman Joe Borg, a former Gozo Channel chairman. Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said has been given responsibility for taking up the project.

The consultants, who were also commissioned by the government to conduct a study on the feasibility of off and on-shore wind turbines in the past, will look into the viability of the link. They will also inspect the geology as well as try determining its impact.

They will assess the technical and economic feasibility of constructing a subsea road tunnel or a bridge between Malta and Gozo but are not expected to carry out detailed geotechnical investigations, which are normally carried out in another study.

Contacted yesterday, Dr Said expressed satisfaction with the progress obtained so far. He had stepped up the momentum in February when he called on the government to commission a financial and technical assessment of the project and maintained the tunnel was the “best solution”, as long as the studies showed it was feasible.

Since the subject of an underwater connection between the islands surfaced, it sparked controversy between those who believe it is sorely needed, primarily Gozitans, and those who strongly opposed it, saying the natural beauty of the island would be lost.

Speaking during a recent visit , Norwegian tunnel expert Eivind Grøv estimated a subsea tunnel has to be dug some 14 storeys or more below the seabed and should have a minimum 50 metres of rock above it.

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