Mellieha council has called on the government to consider building a tunnel beneath Mellieha to ease traffic, particularly during the summer, when Mellieha centre and the road between Mellieha and St Paul's Bay are full of cars.
The council is also proposing a new road linking the St Paul’s Bay bypass to the Mellieħa bypass.
In an effort to reduce sand erosion at Ghadira Bay, it has also called for a new road further inland which would include a tunnel from Prajjet Street – the road leading to Popeye Village – up to the caravan site on the other side of the valley. The road would then link to Marfa Road at the junction just below the Red Tower at l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa.
However, such a project is expected to prompt stiff resistance from environmental groups due to the ecological sensitivity of this area. In 2008, the Nationalist administration was forced to shelve plans for a new road next to the Danish Village and the Għadira Natural Reserve, which would have replaced the existing promenade.
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