Getting into the heart of Valletta will become a greater sticking point for motorists from next month when St Paul Street, a main artery since work on the City Gate project started, is closed for up to 11 weeks.
Valletta local council is planning roadworks from the first week of August in what has become one of just two entry roads into the capital.
Mayor Alexiei Dingli defended the decision saying August was chosen because it was “the quietest period of the year”.
With barely one week to go before works start, traffic arrangements are still being drawn up and Dr Dingli said this was being done in collaboration with Transport Malta to minimise the inconvenience as much as possible.
The project will be split into two phases, with the first covering the stretch between the Office of the Prime Minister in Castille Place and Old Theatre Street. The second phase will cover the area between Archbishop Street and Old Hospital Street at the lower end of Valletta.
St Paul’s is one of seven streets in Valletta the council will be upgrading through a private public partnership. Work on the seven streets, which include St Paul, Hospital Street, Nicholas Street and North Street, is estimated to cost €160,000.
New water and sewage services will be laid and Melita will instal its telecommunication cables afresh. The steps on either side of the street will be repaired.
Although a traffic management plan had not been drawn up yet, the idea was to change the direction of traffic going through certain roads to make Valletta accessible, Dr Dingli said.
Delivery vans, which at present access Valletta through St Paul Street and turn into Melita Street, will still be able to enter the city to make their deliveries but will have to go through the top of Merchants Street. This will be confirmed by the traffic management plan once finalised. The mayor acknowledged that St Paul Street had become “a main artery”, especially following the closure of Pope Pius V Street, which ran above the old City Gate, but said the council had “no option” but to carry out the work in August.
This was the quietest month, including for businesses, and the works would be completed by October, before the Christmas season rush.
He said the council had been discussing the project since January and had also consulted the Chamber for Small and Medium Businesses – GRTU. It was, in fact, a GRTU representative who informed shop owners in St Paul’s Street about the roadworks.
Some owners of businesses in St Paul Street said that, while the road was in dire need of an upgrade, August was not the right time for it. They said that since Arriva started operating the public transport service, introducing several hubs rather than having a centralised one in Valletta, people were barely going to the capital anymore.