Plans for a tunnel underneath Valletta, connecting the two harbours, have been revived. Entrepreneur Angelo Xuereb has just been given the green light for a sea ferry tunnel project, which he has been advocating for some time.
The idea of a ‘Connections’ project between the harbours goes back to 1998, but actually the idea has a much longer history.
In 1856 Sir William Reid, Governor of Malta, requested an estimate of “the expense of making a tunnel between the two harbours of Valletta, to enable boats and loaded barges to pass from one harbour to the other”.
The dimensions of the tunnel were calculated as 900 metres long, five metres wide and four metres high. Two bridges of hard stone, one at each end, were to be constructed with foundations laid into the sea. An iron chain was to run along the length of each side of the tunnel.
The total cost was estimated at £9,742, which was a significant sum a century-and-a-half ago. The project did not see the light of day at the time.
The dimensions of the proposed tunnel today are not all that different: 800 metres long and seven metres high, including two-and-a-half metres depth of water. The total cost is estimated at €10 million, plus another €3 million for river boats.
The current project is quite different to the one proposed in 1998 and discussed for a few years afterwards. That was more extensive, with an underground sea tunnel running under St George’s Square near the Palace.
Here passengers would have disembarked and reached the centre of Valletta by elevator. A road tunnel was also envisaged, connecting to an underground car park and the lifts underneath the square.
The idea for Valletta was to have a system of horizontal links, with underground tunnels and roads, and vertical links in the form of elevators. One of these, the panoramic lift at Upper Barrakka, was completed in 2012 and won an award at the World Architecture Festival.
One of the main objections to the 1998 tunnel proposal was that it would destroy some of Valletta’s underground heritage, which includes a network of old cisterns and tunnels.
In the new plans, the Valletta tunnel starts near the waterpolo pitch at Marsamxett and connects to a point at Lascaris Wharf. According to the developer, it will not affect any underground historic features.
The only way to solve the traffic problem in Malta is to go underground
My view is that the only way to solve the traffic problem in Malta is to go underground, with more road tunnels and especially public transport such as a metro. There simply is not enough space in the streets above to cater for all these cars and have a decent living environment.
Above the road there would be space for more pedestrian areas, cycle lanes and gardens. A recent proposal from a group of young architects was to create a road tunnel under St Anne’s Street in Floriana, with a public garden above. This could connect to the underground car park outside Valletta, or perhaps to a new one under the Independence Arena.
A sea tunnel under Valletta could have many benefits. Leaving Sliema, passengers could disembark near the Barrakka lift in around 10 minutes. Or just stay on the boat and cross over to the Three Cities, and vice versa.
Fast, with no cars, less pollution, no congestion, no traffic jams. Fantastic. I will be the tunnel’s first customer. People in Venice depend upon water transport every day, and taking a water bus or taxi along the canals is an everyday event.
The devil is, as always, in the detail. Assuming that it is true that the tunnel will not affect any known underground features, where will the entrances be sited? There will presumably be bridges on either side, to replace the existing roads at the foot of the Valletta fortifications.
Both Lascaris Wharf and Marsamxett have old buildings and bastions. How will the entrances to a sea tunnel fit in? Valletta is a unique, historic and special city which must be handled with the greatest sensitivity to heritage and aesthetics.
Completing a tunnel by June 2017 as projected seems pretty close, considering that a full environmental assessment will surely be required during the development planning process. The ‘Valletta 2018’ deadline will come and go, but a tunnel will be here to stay.
More parking spaces and public transport at either end of the ferry service should be factored in, as to use the boat you first have to be able to get to it.
The inadequacy of our roads and public transport is a major concern, and very difficult to solve. Any project that may alleviate the congestion in some way should receive full attention.
If critical issues weigh in heavily against the sea tunnel and cannot be overcome, then so be it. However, it should certainly not be gunned down out of hand, or shelved without a good, hard look at its potential.
The Valletta harbours are among the most beautiful in the world. Who could refuse a boat ride across the bay, instead of sitting in a traffic jam at Marsa?
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