UPDATED 6pm: Traffic mayhem around Valletta is expected next week as multiple roads are closed off as Malta hosts the Valletta Summit on Migration.
Sources involved in the traffic management of the high profile event said that a number of arterial routes between the airport, Valletta and St Julian’s would also be off limits during unspecified periods next Tuesday and Wednesday as prime ministers and presidents are being driven to the venues.
This will happen again on Friday morning as European and African leaders attending the meeting leave the island. Some 43 heads of government, including the leaders of 26 EU member states, have confirmed their attendance at the summit, to be held on November 11 and 12.
The police this evening said a further traffic update will be given on Tuesday.
The capital will be the worst hit. Most of Valletta will be closed to traffic during the summit.
Roads in the Attard-Balzan area that surrounds San Anton Palace as well, and the Pembroke-St Julian’s area will also be closed off to vehicles at specific times, the police clarified this evening.
The road closures had been uploaded on to the government’s road closure portal on Friday. The notice gives a list of those roads that will be completely off limits from midnight on Monday to 11am on Friday and several points in between. The police this evening clarified that Valletta will be mainly hit.
“The transit and stopping of vehicles in the roads mentioned is prohibited,” the notice reads, adding that the roads would all be considered tow zones and parking in the area would be illegal.
The highest number of closures is scheduled for Valletta, with some 30 roads, corners, squares and alleys made off limits at various times next week.
The sources said not all the closures were directly related to the summit and the worst affected areas would be those in the vicinity of Castille Square, the Valletta ring road and the area around the Mediterranean Conference Centre. The police notice says that all entrances and exits to the airport and access roads will also be off limits.
This evening, the Commissioner of Police said that the following roads in Valletta and Floriana will face closures as follows:
In Valletta and Floriana, from Wednesday between 2pm and 10pm:
Triq Ġlormu Cassar until the War Monument
Triq Il-Papa Piju until the new Parliament
Il-Bini tat-Taraġ, Triq Nofsinhar corner with Triq Zakkarija
Triq l-Ordninanza and Triq il-Vitorja
Triq l-Ordinanza corner with Triq il-Vitorja
Triq il-Merkanti corner with Melita Street
Triq San Pawl corner with Triq Melita
Triq Sant’ Ursula with Triq il-Batterija
Il-Barrakka ta’ Fuq will be closed to the public all day.
The following roads will be closed between Wednesday 2pm and Thursday until the end of the conference:
Xatt Lascaris corner with Nieżlet il-Kurċifiss
Xatt il-Barriera corner with Telgħet Liesse
Triq il-Mediterran corner with Triq San Nikola
Triq Il-Lvant corner with Triq San Kristoferu
Triq Il-Lvant corner with Triq San Duminku
Triq Sant Iermu corner with Triq Merkanti
Triq It-Tramuntana until Triq Merkanti
Triq L-Isptar L-Antik with Triq Merkanti
Triq San Pawl with Triq San Nikola
Triq San Nikola with Triq Sant’Ursula
Triq San Nikola with Triq il-Bjar L-Antiki
Triq L-Ixpruna with Triq San Bastjan
Triq L-Ifran corner with Triq San Bastjan
Triq Il-Punent ma’ Triq San Bastjan
Other roads that are expected to be temporarily closed during the Valletta Summit on Migration:
St Julian’s
From midnight on Monday, November 9, till 11 am Friday, November 13.
Triq Santu Wistin, Triq id-Dragunara, Triq il-Knisja, Triq Ross, Triq San Ġorġ, Triq L.V. Farrugia and Triq William Harding.
Luqa
From midnight on Monday, November 9, till 9 am Friday, November 13.
Triq Garibaldi, Triq il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa, Triq l-Avjazzjoni Ċivili, Triq Ħal Luqa, Xintill roundabout, Vjal Santa Luċija, Industrial Estate, Triq Ħal Far, Triq l-Avjazzjoni, Triq iż-Żurrieq and MIA entrances will be tow zones.
Attard-Balzan
From 8pm on Monday, November 9, till 10pm Friday, November 13.
Vjal de Paule, (main entrance of the Corinthia Hotel and also Sant’ Anton President’s Palace), part of Triq Birkirkara, Triq il-Linja, (left hand side of Corinthia Hotel), Triq Lord Strickland known as Triq it-Twila which is adjacent to Sant’ Anton Palace), part of Triq Sant’ Antnin, Ħ’Attard, from Triq Lord Strickland up to Triq G. Portelli (kitchen garden area behind San Anton Palace).
Msida/Pieta
From midnight on Tuesday, November 10, till 10 pm Thursday, November 12.
The whole seafront.
Buġibba
From 5am till 7 pm Tuesday, November 10.
Triq Għawdex, Triq Dawret il-Gżejjer, Triq it-Turisti, Triq it-Trunċiera, Triq id-Dolmen and Triq il-Merluzz.
Marsa
From 9am on Tuesday, November 10, till 11 am Friday, November 13.
Triq il-Menqa, Triq Aldo Moro, Triq Diċembru Tlettax, Triq it-Tiġrija/Korsa, Marsa and Triq Nazzjonali, Blata l-Bajda
Safi
From midnight Tuesday, November 10, till midnight Friday, November 13.
Triq Ħal Far.
