Work on December 13 Road in Marsa will be completed towards the end of next year, Transport Malta has said.

The project, which was expected to take just under a year, involves narrowing the existing wide centre strip between the two carriageways.

The road will be realigned to make space for an underpass, which will branch off from the left lane leading to Valletta, just before the footbridge.

Cars would pass through the short tunnel to exit next to Spencer Gardens and Hexagon House in the Menqa area of Marsa.

The planning authority board had approved the full development permit for the project in June 2010 and work began on November 7, 2011.

Until December 7, when questions were sent to Transport Malta, the authority’s website said the underpass from December 13 Road to the Sea Passenger Terminal in Marsa was expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2012.

When the story went to print, the website said work was expected to be completed in 2013.

A Transport Malta spokesman told The Times that a revised programme, which takes into account all delays and the suspension of part of the works, is being compiled by the project supervisor and the contractor.

“As an indication, it is envisaged that in accordance with this re-phasing, the final completion date for the works shall be towards the end of 2013,” he added.

Last year’s rainfall and archaeological findings in the Spencer Garden area – which are still being investigated by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage – were the main reasons for missing the planned summer 2012 window.

Work on the arterial road itself is currently suspended and scheduled to restart in March. These works relate directly to construction of the underpass and involve closing one carriageway for the deep excavations and backfilling that are required to realign the road.

The spokesman said such work is ideally carried out under more favourable weather conditions to alleviate the duration of traffic disruptions, while also avoiding major disruptions during the festive season.

The design has been adjusted to maximize the archaeological findings that could be preserved, and the project re-phased to allow one carriageway to remain open for vehicles.