Roadworks at more than 200 sites across Malta and Gozo are under way or should start in the near future, many of which may clog up alternative routes used by motorists to avoid the ever worsening traffic.
Figures obtained from the Transport Malta website reveal that 206 applications for road repairs and alterations, which are spread fairly evenly across the islands, have been issued permits.
Many of the works have very short windows and would have to be carried out as soon as possible.
Motorists have been getting increasingly frustrated with the snail-paced flow of traffic in recent weeks, as major projects such as those on the Coast Road have been coupled with smaller works on less prominent routes.
A third of the works approved, 76, are in the central area of Malta, with 22 roads in Balzan and a further 16 in Naxxar being fixed or extended.
Another six works given the go-ahead in Naxxar are all related to the current Coast Road project, which has created bottlenecks in both St Paul’s Bay and St Julian’s. According to the authority, this project should be completed early next year.
Meanwhile, there are three road projects being carried out in Msida, all related to the Msida Junction, with motorists fuming over tailbacks stretching as far back as The Strand in Sliema.
Earlier this week, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi pledged to speed up the works being done in Msida in a bid to ease congestion.
He did not, however, give a completion date for the work.
Little reprieve from Msida traffic jams
The escalating traffic situation first entered the national debate when a Transport Malta spokeswoman said that, while traffic was on the rise, the situation often seemed worse to those stuck behind the wheel.
Her comments, made during an interview last month, provoked an uproar, with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat eventually weighing in on the issue last week.
He had said that, if traffic was “just a perception” as the spokeswoman was reported to have said, then he must be getting stuck in a lot of perceptions.
There is little reprieve for motorists trying to escape the Msida traffic through neighbouring localities. The official figures show that there are five repair jobs that should be underway in Birkirkara, San Ġwann and Pietà, with five projects in Sliema.
A fifth of the total have been approved for roads in the north, with the majority, 11, being done in St Paul’s Bay.
Twelve more are located between Swieqi and St Julian’s.
Interestingly, there are even more works meant to be done in Gozo, with an overhaul of 21 projects permitted in Victoria.
Motorists in the south are equally stressed, with 53 different projects approved across 12 localities there. Half of these, however, consist of repaving works as part of the restoration of Vittoriosa.
Details on what the works consist of were not available on the Transport Malta website, as information was limited to the validity dates of works given the go-ahead by the authority.