I refer to the letter ‘Dingli’s half-baked Panoramic Road’ by Charles Falzon, (The Sunday Times of Malta, September 18).
I must declare an interest in the matter as the Panoramic Road was my baby. As the Public Works Department road engineer I had launched the project in the early 1960s but I left the public service in 1965.
My idea was to provide a suitable and attractive outlet for the burgeoning traffic to let off steam, especially weekend and holiday traffic, without loading the already busy built-up areas.
I was inspired by the access roads to the national parks in the United Kingdom but I encountered a lot of opposition from, among others, a certain Paul Demajo, who contended that the road would ruin everything for the ramblers. We exchanged several letters in the local press.
I was fresh from the success of the Portes des Bombes flyover so I had a lot of support. Few cared to tangle with me and I found a great ally in Col. Masters of the Royal Engineers, who not only gave me moral support but also offered to carry out a token stretch of the road, for which I was very grateful.
I did not have any specific funds but that did not curb my enthusiasm. I had long felt that the south had been neglected in spite of its many attractions. One could get to Żurrieq, but Wied iż-Żurrieq itself needed bypassing.
After Għar Lapsi there were the megalithic temples, the view of Filfla, the fascinating Girgenti or Għar il-Kbir cave complex, where over 40 families used to live with their stock in medieval times, and the mysterious Ħal Tartarni, which was one of the original 10 parishes of Malta set up by Bishop De Mello in 1436 and later suppressed.
My idea was to string all these jewels in a loop which would include Dingli Cliffs, Mtaħleb and the Victoria Lines on to the budding Northwest Coast Road. The road was to be two-lane but would have discreetly located panoramic stopping places with, perhaps, a roadside café and some children’s play equipment.
I only got funds for the Wied iż-Żurrieq stretch, and the Royal Engineers added a further kilometre or so. After that I am not quite sure what happened.