The completion of the Dock 1 rehabilitation project in Cospicua was celebrated this evening in a ceremony presided by Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi.
Central to the project is the transformation of the run-down dockyard area into a promenade between Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa, including a pedestrian bridge across Dockyard Creek at the mouth of the dock.
The €11m project, partly funded by the EU, was launched in 2009 but encountered several delays, not least because of problems with an Italian contractor.
The works included rehabilitation of the area of Xatt ir-Rizq, the Verdala and San Nikola blocks, the creation of a new public garden at San Gwann t'Ghuxa and rehabilitation of the area known as Dar Andrew.
Mr Mizzi said the project was a breath of fresh air for Cottonera. Today's ceremony, he said, was one of celebration for the residents who had to endure years of inconvenience because of bad planning in a project that was stalled for several months.
"In the last 18 months, this project took a new dimension, new enthusiasm, which was not there in the past because of a lack of political will," he said in a politically loaded event marred with occasional shouts of Viva l-Labour typical of this Labour stronghold.
Mr Mizzi appealed to residents to take good care of the project which, he said, continued to make the area 'a jewel'.
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