The major road project near the Addolorata Cemetery was quietly progressing, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi told Parliament last night.

The planning authority process had started and applications for EU funds had been made.

The EU had understood the government’s efforts as never before, and a TEN-T official would be visiting Malta shortly to inspect the progress made on the transport system.

Mr Mizzi said the Nationalist administration was on record admitting that it had lost control over roadworks, but now that the government was taking control of the transport system, all it was facing were attempts to trip it up.

One case in point was when the government had opened up the former Malta Shipbuilding’s Dock 7 to ease traffic congestion but the opposition had said that whoever used the diversion was not covered by insurance. Asked by Labour MP Silvio Schembri about progress on December 13 Road in Marsa, Mr Mizzi said Transport Malta had kept its promises with good work completed before time.

The Nationalists had stopped work on the project before the election, ostensibly in anticipation of impending bad weather.

But work had resumed on the change of government “because Labour works on, come rain or shine”, he said.

In eight months the government had managed projects that the Nationalists had been promising for 25 years.

Mr Mizzi said motorists were admitting that there had been fewer traffic snarl-ups in the last four to five weeks. Transport Malta was looking forward to also working on plans for the medium and longer terms.