Matthew Bonanno
St Paul Street residents stoic over road closure
Jane Cassar, helped by her daughter Mary (left), can barely leave the house without assistance. Photo: Jason Borg
Residents of St Paul Street in Valletta have resigned themselves to dealing with next week’s closure of the lower half of the road as best they can.
The Valletta local council last week bowed to pressure from the business community and residents and postponed half the project. The upper half of the road works have been pushed back by a year.
Roadworks will start on Monday on the bottom half of the road because the lower part of St Paul Street intersects with other roads the council is planning to resurface, such as Nicholas and Old Hospital streets.
The job will be divided into two phases, the first one between Hospital and St Dominic streets and the second phase between St Dominic and Archbishop streets.
Work on the lower part of the long street is expected to take about 10 weeks to complete. The project includes cleaning rainwater culverts, laying new water mains, paving, installing services and resurfacing the road.
Most of the residents approached yesterday said that although the closure was an inconvenience they felt it was high time works were carried out.
“I’ve been asking council to do something for five years,” one resident said. “It’s an inconvenience but it’s necessary.”
Another resident, Francis Lapira, agreed. “There’s nothing that can be done if that’s what has been decided but, at the same time, the road is in need of some attention.”
The main concern of the residents, many of whom are elderly, is how they will be reached by an ambulance in case of an emergency.
“Last year I broke my wrist,” said Antoinette Giglio, who is also worried that her three children would struggle to find a place to park in Valletta when visiting her.
“On the other hand, I don’t own a shop and am able to walk, so it’s not so much of a problem,” she added.
Mary Cassar, who takes care of her 84-year-old mother, was particularly angry about what she believed would result in limited ambulance access. “I don’t agree with the road works,” she said. “My mother can barely walk so she can’t leave the house without help. She also suffers from dementia.
“What will happen if she needs an ambulance?”
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Maria Vassallo
Aug 18th 2011, 17:52
Biex ingawdu rridu nbatu!
Evviva l-gdiedem!
Kurt Grima
Aug 18th 2011, 14:49
I smell something fishy here...is Austin Gatt trying to help Arriva at the expense of the mini-busese?
Ms Pauline Busuttil
Aug 18th 2011, 13:52
Sur Vella, ara tahseb li ma nafux x'irridu....... nafu u nafu hafna. Pero ghaliex ghandhom jiehdu xi 10 gimghat biex issiru xi 3/4 toroq? Pajjizi ohra jiehdu ferm inqas zmien biex ilestu t-toroq biex ikun hemm inqas inkonvenjent ghat-traffiku u ghar-residenti. Ghaliex ma ghandux il-gvern ihaddem nies mis-7 ta' filghodu sa tard filghaxija u jekk ikun hemm bzonn anki bil-lejl. Ihaddimhom b'rooster u jhallashom u hekk jonqos it-trab (u mard minhabba dan it-trab ez. asthma), id-dgergir u l-inkonvenjent ta' kullhadd.
Imma li tigi tghidli li ser iddumu xi 10 gimghat....... ahjar nidhaq.........
Issa araw x'gej f'dawn is-sentejn li gejjin gol Belt Valletta. Giri sfrenat biex ilesstu qabel id-D Day. U Sur Vella ahna inkomplu nikkritikaw ghax l'affarijiet gol Belt ma humiex qed issiru ghalina l-Beltin biss imma minhabba it-turist u l-VIP's. Pero' irriduhom issiru sew halli ahna ma nbatux (kif qed inbghatu hafna fuq certi affarijiet).
Kun af li ahna il-Beltin irridu naqghalaw qalbna biex niehdu dak li huwa bid-dritt taghna. Ma ahniex kuntenti kif issiru l-affarijiet gol Belt.
JOSEPH VELLA
Aug 18th 2011, 09:38
Dawn ir-residenti jafu xi jridu? Sa ftit ili kienu jgorru fliema stat ħażin huma t-toroq u l-bankini ġħax jista' jaqa' xi anzjan u jweġġa, issa ġħax fl-aħħar se ssir biċċa xoġħol sew se jerġġħu jgorru xorta. Kieku jien mill kunsill nġħalaq ġħajnejja u nibqa ġħaddej. Fiż-żmien il-belt kienet intelqet ġħal 16 il-sena sħaħ u ħadd ma' kien jiftaħ ħalqu.
Mr Guido Farrugia
Aug 18th 2011, 15:48
Ghal-liema 16 il-sena qed tirreferi? Waqa l-ghasss, pero tajjeb li nfakkrek li jekk qed tirreferi ghaz-zmien li qed nahseb jien infakkrek li f-dak iz-zmien inbnew blokki shah ghar-residenti tal-belt. Tiftakara Dar Il-Meditteran taqa bicciet? Jekk qed tindika ghal meta gie mwaqqa u r-rovinat putirjal, niskuza ruhi. X'taf fuq il belt int? Grazzi li m-inthix kunsillier il-belt.
Mr John Borg
Aug 18th 2011, 09:26
If they take as long as it did to do up a simple pavement in Sliema which took two months to complete, then sadly they are in for probably 2 years of misery.
This road shouldn't take them more than a week to complete if they really work at it!
Government road workers work from 8am stop for numerous breaks and by noon you'll be lucky to see them still there.
JOSEPH VELLA
Aug 18th 2011, 11:54
Ħa nġħidlek Profs. Ix-xoġħol li se jsir ma' jikkonsistix fil-kisi tal-wiċċ biss iżda hemm komunikazzjonijiet li jridu jinbidlu wkoll. Jekk ix-xoġħol jitlesta kif qieġħed tġħid int, f'ġimġħa, wara jiġi xi Profs. bħalek u jġħid li sar xoġħol ta' kafkaf
Mr wayne scicluna
Aug 18th 2011, 15:01
U generalment, xoghol ta kafkaf isir tibzax! X'differenza mit toroq ta barra! Ghiduli din......jekk issa ewropej u bqajna inhallsu l-licenzji, ghala irridu insuqu u nimxu fuq l-imbarazz li tissejjah ''triq''??????????
Mr Michael Camileri
Aug 18th 2011, 07:43
It is a bit tricky, because the roads 'need' to be attended. People - young, old, athletic, frail, car owners, non car owners....
The road works are a necesity. Roads if passable will be passable by ambulance, otherwise im sure the brave men and women will run up the road...
People complain because the roads are a mess, people complain when they are being repaired...moral...y'cannnot please everybody.