Five-and-a-half kilometres of rebuilt road were officially opened to the public yesterday, providing Gozitans with a smoother ride from Victoria to Mellieħa bay.

Now, the only part missing is the middle bit. And this Government is committed to making a Malta to Gozo tunnel a reality

“Now, the only part missing is the middle bit. And this Government is committed to making a Malta-to-Gozo tunnel a reality, provided it is environmentally and financially feasible,” Transport Minister Austin Gatt said.

Feasibility studies are expected to get under way shortly.

The roads, which form part of the EU-funded Ten-T road network project, had been completed on time and within budget, Dr Gatt said. They join arterial roads in Marsascala, Żurrieq, Luqa and Marsa completed as part of the €47 million network project.

Dr Gatt was eager to point out that more than 1,500 workers employed by 25 contractors had worked on the Ten-T roads. The Xewkija to Gozo road alone had employed 300 workers and cost €12 million to complete.

Work is still under way on the Mellieħa bypass upgrade, scheduled to be completed in February, while archaeological findings continue to hold back progress on the Marsa underpass.

“No Government has ever built as many roads as this one, or spent as much on essential infrastructure as we have,” the Transport Minister said.

Dr Gatt was one of three ministers present for yesterday morning’s road opening in Xewkija, Gozo. Justice Minister Chris Said, a Gozitan, took time out of his daily commute to say a few words, noting how the Government had opted to spend 10 per cent of all EU funds on projects in Gozo.

Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono explained that the Victoria to Xewkija road had been built from scratch, with underground water culverts, three reservoirs and special provision for water treated at Xewkija’s Ras il-Ħobż treatment plant to flow to agricultural areas.

She highlighted the public art dotted along the road, created by artists whose submissions had stood out among entries into a public art competition.

Works by Paolo Giordanella, Mario Sammut, Mary Portelli and Mario Cassar line the road. Four other public works of art have been installed at Villa Rundle, the Victoria bus terminus and Marsalforn’s Three Hills garden.

But within minutes of the ministers having praised the new road, readers of timesofmalta.com were complaining that the Xewkija to Victoria road was prone to flooding.

A Transport Ministry spokeswoman referred complainants to a Transport Malta statement issued on November 29, which argued that readers’ complaints came following unusually heavy rainfall and that Gozitan stakeholders had confirmed the road had held up well.

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