Transport Minister Joe Mizzi told Parliament yesterday that using hot asphalt in road repairs had achieved better, longer-lasting results in a situation that was “very precarious”.

Cold asphalt that was used to patch up roads was invariably carried away when it rained. Experimentation with hot asphalt by two groups had achieved much better results.

Transport Malta was responsible for the resurfacing and maintenance of just 200km of arterial and major roads

Answering a question by Opposition MP Charlò Bonnici, Mr Mizzi said that people’s perception that Transport Malta was responsible for the maintenance of the whole road network was wrong. Out of the 1,300 kilometres of roads, Transport Malta was responsible for the resurfacing and maintenance of just 200 kilometres of arterial and major roads and first-time resurfacing.

Other roads were the responsibility of either local councils or Malta Industrial Parks but when major difficulties cropped up the tendency was to shift that responsibility onto his ministry, Mr Mizzi said.

He said a special unit had been set up to roam the roads 12 hours a day and report on their conditions. If the councils and MIP could not manage the works, the ministry handled them itself and then charged them for expenses.

Mr Mizzi said local councils were charged 30 per cent of the cost of wages and the full cost of materials.