Bad weather over the past 10 days has delayed the paving project at The Strand in Sliema by a week.
The €120,000 project, which includes the re-laying of sewage and water pipes as well as high tension electricity cables, isnow expected to be completed by February 27.
Residents who spoke with The Sunday Times complained about the almost two-month inconvenience, adding that the government should have ensured embellishment work in such a popular area be carried out over a shorter period of time, even working around the clock if need be.
One resident spoke of the problems he faced to transport his wheelchair-bound mother around The Strand.
Some residents and motorists pointed out that two private construction projects metres away from The Strand had turned the popular tourist area into a hotchpotch of concrete and mud.
Although a few shop owners who spoke to this newspaper yesterday had misgivings about the inconvenience caused by the works, they acknowledged that any embellishment project would cause annoyance.
Resources Minister George Pullicino explained that the adverse weather over the past week proved to be a setback for the paving project.
Moreover, the snow in Italy, particularly in Genoa, also delayed the cutting of the porfido slabs being used to pave The Strand. The weather also delayed the transportation of these slabs to Malta.
Now that the weather had improved, four teams will be deployed as from tomorrow, to try to make up for the lost time.
The project began on January 9 and was due to be completed within six weeks – by today. The new deadline following the delays has now been moved by a week.
The paving work includes the installation of ducts for electrical cables and data cables, the installation of a new water main and a section of a sewage main.
The project is intended to widen the pavement on the Sliema front, giving it a fresh look which blends in with the paving works already carried out in Tower Road, Manwel Dimech Street and Bisazza Street, which has been fully pedestrianised.
The Resources Ministry in November also submitted an application before the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for the construction of a 186-car underground parking in the area opposite the recently-upgraded St Anne Square.
The project, which is still being scrutinised by the planning authority, will include a garden in the area currently occupied by parked cars as well as a kiosk.