The planning authority this afternoon unanimously approved a new junction at Kappara.

Robert Zerafa, the architect representing Transport Malta, said the junction, leading to the University, would help reduce the traffic congestion in the area.

Presenting the project to the planning authority board this afternoon, Mr Zerafa said the junction was one of the worst bottlenecks in Malta and could not keep up with the volume of traffic passing in the morning and afternoon.

It was estimated that around 6,000 vehicles passed at peak times leading to increased waiting time in traffic and travel time.

In the new junction, the roundabout would remain the same with two flyover lanes cutting across. Traffic from one side of Regional Road to the other would pass over the roundabout.

The Transport Authority presented a modified version of the option which had originally incorporated a second roundabout.

This option, even in its original version, had been preferred by the authority's environment unit, which had slammed an alternative option that had eliminated the congested Kappara roundabout and replaced it with a more free-flowing route. This had included a new roundabout on the Gżira side of Sliema Road, a signal junction on the San Ġwann side and a bridge over the valley.

Mr Zerafa explained that traffic going to Sliema Road would take a side lane and use the roundabout to go to Sliema or San Gwann.

The project also includes the Tal-Qroqq tunnels which will be widened to a three-lane carriage way to help the traffic exchanges become smoother.

With a length of 1.2 km, it will have LED lighting with an efficient dimming system. All crash barriers will be replaced. The road leading to the roundabout will be covered with a high friction surface system as it is where cars brake the most. It will also have a rainwater catchment section.

Mr Zerafa said the biggest challenge of the project was the underground services, which will all be shifted to the side or passed through culverts.

Paul Gauci, a consultant with the company which drew up the EIA, said there were a number of improvements in the air quality readings but the data, taken over an annual average, did not reveal a huge change in the results.

A group of Kappara residents had also drawn up a third proposal, which, they say, has no visual impact and does not trample on the valley like the two previous options.

This, however, was not even considered by the Environment Unit because of "non-starter" arguments from a traffic basis, environment officer Noelle Cardona said.

The hearing is still underway.

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