Work on the new Barrakka lift in Valletta is about to be taken in hand, Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt said today.

Permits for the project were issued by Mepa last September, and the site will be handed over for the project on July 1, the minister said.

The bastion wall below the Barrakka was recently rehabilitated.

The 58-metre high lift will connect Lascaris ditch to the Upper Barrakka gardens. It will have two passenger cabins with a total capacity of 21 passengers and will be able to carry up to 800 people per hour. Its concrete structure will be covered with a honey-coloured aluminium mesh to blend in with the stone.

The new structure will be built on the same site as the lift which operated between  1905 and 1973. It used to carry up to 12 passengers in each of its two cabins. That lift was dismantled in 1983.

The new lift will cost €1.5 million to build.

The project development application was submitted by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation.

The lift will be completely detached from the fortifications and will only be connected to the Upper Barrakka Gardens by a bridge. The main structure will include a flight of stairs for safety reasons.