Transport Malta has issued a call for tenders for a geological study of the sub-surface of the Malta-Gozo Channel.

The winning contractor will conduct geotechnical investigations at various points on land and in the channel, with drilling expected to reach approximately 200m below sea bed level in some areas. The extracted core samples will help establish a geological model of the area, which will eventually determine the feasibility of boring a tunnel, Transport Malta said.  
 
It observed that between the year 2000 and 2010, the number of vehicles crossing between Malta and Gozo increased by 4.1% each year. In 2010 an average of 1,500 vehicles crossed each day in each direction. Last year, according to the NSO, a total of 1,348,502 vehicles made the crossing; reflecting an increase of 23% over the 2010 traffic. 

PN: YEARS WERE WASTED

In a reaction, the Nationalist Party said the commissioning of this study had come three years too late, with the present government having initially moved away from the former government's plans and commissioned a bridge viability study instead. 

It was only after Opposition leader Simon Busuttil outlined his vision of a fast transit system linking several points including the tunnel to Gozo, that the government had started to make its proposals, the party said.  

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.