Malta’s arterial roads, infamous for their potholes, should be in a much better shape by the end of 2013 thanks to €151.5 million in EU funds to upgrade the network.

Nigel Farage, a British MEP and leader of the Eurosceptics in the European Parliament, tabled a question asking about the EU funds given to Malta for road infrastructural projects.

European Regional Affairs Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that a substantial part of the funds were given under two separate budgets, 2004-2006 and 2007-2013.

He said that, for the 2004-2006 period, three Maltese road projects had been co-financed through Structural Funds. These projects contributed to the upgrading of 18 per cent (9.35 kilometres) of the road network in Malta. In particular, €9.8 million were allocated from the European Regional Development Fund to the restoration and upgrading of Ħal Far Road phase three and the upgrading of the Regional Road bridge (3.2 kilometres).

These investments complemented €9.4 million from the Cohesion Fund spent on the project titled Restoration And Upgrading Of Sections Of TEN-T, covering 2.7 kilometres of the St Paul’s Bay bypass, 0.6 kilometres of Aviation Avenue in Luqa and 2.85 kilometres of the Mġarr road in Gozo.

With regard to the 2007-2013 period, €97 million were allocated under the Cohesion Fund to the upgrading of further sections of the TEN-T network in Malta.

Mr Hahn said the investments would be complemented by about €35.3 million coming from the ERDF for further upgrading in the national/local road network.

As part of this investment, major works are in hand on four main roads. These include the rebuilding of Vjal il-Kunsill ta’ l-Ewropa/Triq Garibaldi in Luqa, Xatt l-Għassara ta’ l-Għeneb in Marsa, Triq il-Marfa, Ċirkewwa and Triq l-Imġarr in Gozo.