Claims that the projected cost of widening the Salina coast road project grew by €4 million within three months were rejected by the Transport Ministry.

Last week, Times of Malta quoted a reply given in February to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina in which Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said that the total cost of the project was expected to reach €49 million.

However, when addressing a press conference during an onsite visit at Salina last week, Dr Mizzi gave the projected cost at €53 million.

Questions sent to the ministry about the apparent discrepancy were not answered immediately but, subsequently, chief of staff Roderick Vella, said that the total budget for the road project had always been €53 million.

“Part of the project is co-financed by the EU, namely 85 per cent, and the rest, 15 per cent, are local funds, which, in total, amount to €49 million,” he said.

The €49 million is not the total cost because there are other costs [€4 million] which were not eligible for EU funding

There was then “the other part”, mainly consisting of the cost of utilities, to the tune of €4 million, which would be covered by local funds.

Added to the €49 million mentioned earlier, the project would cost a total of €53 million, the figure mentioned by Mr Mizzi during the site visit, Mr Vella said.

An official at the Planning and Priorities Coordination Department, the government’s branch responsible for the management of EU finds, said the figures first given by Mr Mizzi in Parliament did not reflect the total cost of the project.

“The €49 million is not the total cost because there are other costs [€4 million] which were not eligible for EU funding,” he said.

The project, which should be completed by May 2015, was given the green light by Mepa in August 2012.