The closure of the road leading from Ghadira Bay to Mellieha at the roundabout of the Sea Bank Hotel, except for Mellieha, will lead to congestions, the Gozo Business Chamber and the Gozo Tourism Association said.

In a statement, the two organisations expressed disappointment at the decision and warned that the traffic flow from Gozo will congest this area and the average trip for the Gozitans and tourists will increase by 20 to 30 minutes.

The organisations called for common sense to prevail and urged the authorities to intervene.

They suggested the removal of the limited parking slots in George Borg Olivier Street or that the south bound traffic from Cirkewwa passed through George Borg Olivier Street and the north bound traffic to Cirkewwa through the single carriageway on the newly-rebuilt bypass.

They noted that they were not consulted about the arrangements.