More than a quarter of traffic accidents that occurred on the Coast Road over a span of two years involved two vehicles driving in opposite directions.

Twenty-eight per cent of the accidents in which motorists and/or passengers were injured between 2006 and 2008 consisted of head-on collisions.

Classifications of accidents between 2006 and 2008.

Transport Malta figures also indicate that 18 per cent of the injuries resulted from so-called “single vehicle, no obstacle” accidents.

The highest number of accidents involving casualties was registered in 2003 when 62 were reported, followed by 50 in 2006.

These figures appeared in an environment impact report, commissioned by the transport watchdog, as part of two development applications for the reconstruction, upgrading, widening and realignment of the Coast Road, leading from Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq to St Paul’s Bay.

Drawn up by Adi Associates, the report notes that many stretches of the road are “dangerous and there are a number of accident black spots”.

Injury accidents on the Coast Road between 2002 and 2008.

The most accidents registered between 2002 and 2008 was in 2003, when 64 collisions happened – of these, 44 caused slight injuries and 20 resulted in serious harm.

Six fatal accidents took place in that period: two per year in 2004 and 2006 and one in 2007 and 2008.

One of the main reasons for the high number of head-on collisions identified by Transport Malta“is that the existing single carriageway, two-lane roads do not provide drivers with the possibility to overtake slow-moving traffic, which is on the increase in the past few years”.

This could be “inducing drivers to ignore regulations and risk overtaking by crossing over” to the opposite lane, straight into the path of other vehicles on a seven-kilometre stretch of road.

28%

Proportion of head-on collisions on the Coast Road from 2006 to 2008, according to the watchdog’s report

The situation is aggravated by a lack of centre strips and the road “fails certain standards” where the overtaking driver does not see oncoming traffic in time, according to the report.

The upgrading project, which forms part of the European Ten-T network, is aimed at cutting accident potential at junctions and bends and reduce delays, the report says.

The road “will be upgraded to improve its safety record, reduce travel times and decrease the vehicle operation costs”.

The Kennedy Grove area was described as “a bottleneck”, particularly on summer weekend evenings.

Expected to take about 18 months to complete, the project includes widening the road, doubling the width of theexisting carriageway and creating a dual, two-lane carriageway.

Two new roundabouts will be built – at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and White Rocks – and cycle lanes will be installed. Dangerous bends will be eliminated, centre strips included and lighting improved.

Two options are listed in the report. One realignsTriq Kennedy Drive southwards, encroaching on to agricultural land in an area called Ta’ Erba’ Mwieżeb.

The second option involves widening Kennedy Drive and Salini (south of the carriageway) and deviating the road into the area known as Il-Ġonna tal-Barbier.

In both options, the works will take up of about 38,000 square metres of land. Transport Malta prefers the second option.

It is estimated about 100,000 cubic metres of rock will be excavated and there will be major impact on the underlying geology, although most of the material will be reused.

Two areas are at risk of flooding: the lowland along Salini Road and Kennedy Drive and the road at Baħar iċ-Cagħaq. The project includes storm water management and installing gullies and manholes along the entire route to collect water.

Flooding at Salini is “likely to be alleviated” as the road there will be elevated to allow water to flow beneath, the report says.

“This is likely to address the flooding issue, so long as culverts are maintained and kept free from blockages,” it notes.