The plan to widen the Magħtab junction on the Coast Road uses up too much land, according to the Environment Protection Directorate.
Roundabouts should be limited to the minimum size to avoid obliteration of habitats
Minimising “land uptake” should be a priority, the directorate said, adding it was not yet satisfied with the proposals to restructure the road that runs along Malta’s northeastern coast.
The directorate, which is part of the planning authority, was reacting to a report commissioned by Transport Malta on its plans to “reconstruct, upgrade, widen and realign” the Coast Road stretching from Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq to St Paul’s Bay.
The project falls under the European Ten-T network and aims to reduce accidents at junctions and bends. The road will be turned into a dual two-lane carriageway in works expected to last 18 months.
Transport Malta offers two options. One would entail widening Kennedy Drive and Salini Road as well as diverting a short stretch of the road into some agricultural land known as Il-Ġonna Tal-Barbier (near the bottom of Telgħa t’Alla u Ommu).
The other option involves a more substantial realignment, which encroaches onto agricultural land in the area known as Ta’ Erba’ Mwieżeb.
Both options require building three new roundabouts at Magħtab, Qalet Marku and Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq.
The report estimates that about 38,000 square metres of land will be swallowed up in the project, and some of that will be done with the realignment or widening of the junction at the entrance to Magħtab.
While acknowledging that the project and upgrading is needed and that it is also listed in the area’s local plan, the directorate said it had a number of “technical concerns”.
Following discussions with Transport Malta, the roundabout proposed for the Magħtab junction was eliminated, as suggested by the directorate.
However, there is still “significant diversion of the road carriageway on to the foreshore, which would constitute an even greater environmental impact.”
The directorate is calling for lower-impact alternatives such as downscaling the junction, especially because of its “relative proximity” to two nearby roundabouts.
It says the other roundabouts should be “limited to the minimum size possible” without prejudicing safety, so as to avoid unnecessary take-up of land and “consequent obliteration of habitats and features beyond the current road footprint”.
The directorate also recommended the proposed mitigation measures, such as monitoring of works, be included in the permit conditions.