Hundreds of motorists ended the long weekend on a sour note, spending Wednesday evening stuck in traffic due to trenching works being carried out at Għadira Bay.
State energy company Enemalta, which is carrying out the works, is promising that the situation will soon return to normal. Replying to questions from this newspaper it noted that the laying of underground electricity cables in this arterial road was nearly completed.
Irate drivers who found themselves gridlocked, vented their frustration on Facebook. It transpired that the root of the problem was a bottleneck next to the Danish Village Complex where traffic was reduced to a single lane, causing huge traffic disruptions especially for those returning from Gozo.
At one point the long line of traffic stretched to the Riviera Hotel in Marfa and Armier Bay, resulting in long delays. In some cases it took more than two hours to reach the Seabank Hotel.
Contacted by the Times of Malta, an Enemalta spokesman confirmed that the works were part of a €1.6 million project to strengthen electricity supply in Gozo and Għadira Bay.
This involves the laying of 10 kilometres of high voltage cables underground to replace the 33kV overhead lines at l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa. Erected 30 years ago, the metal pylons, stretching over 4.5 kilometres of countryside, will be removed in a few months’ time once the new underground cables will turned on.
Asked about the timing of the project, Enemalta noted that trenching works at Għadira Bay started last month and were scheduled to be completed before summer. However, no reason was given why the project had not started in winter.
“Cable laying works along the first phase of the route are ready and the trench excavated in this area is being refilled this week,” the spokesman said. As for the traffic arrangements, the company insisted that the contractors carrying out the works followed the traffic management plan specified by Transport Malta. The latter had ordered a kerbside parking ban along the affected carriageway.
Though Enemalta said that road signs notifying motorists about this measure were placed along the route, it seemed that no enforcement was carried out, as vehicles were seen parked along the stretch, thus reducing traffic to a single lane.
The spokesman pointed out that once this phase is completed, the focus of the project during the peak summer months would shift away from the beaches. Final excavation works and the laying of the underground cable will be completed next autumn, he added.
As part of this project, Enemalta is also increasing the capacity of the electricity distribution system in the Mellieħa Bay area through the development of a new 11kV substation.