A UK firm will be carrying out a study to assess the structural integrity of the Mistra bridge amid concerns that the ageing structure is no longer able to withstand the volume of traffic travelling over it.

Commissioned by Transport Malta following an open call issued earlier this year, the 12-week project costing €19,000 has been entrusted to CTP consulting engineers of Kent.

According to the tendering document, the study also aims to recommend interventions to enable the bridge’s maintenance and preservation. The first inspections will be made during the removal of the vegetation from the bridge, for which a separate tender was awarded.

Subsequently, CTP will record all structural deficiencies, carry out a 3D laser scan and prepare surveyed plans and elevations to compile a restoration plan.

Located on Malta’s main north-south access road, the Mistra bridge provides access for heavy vehicles that travel between Gozo, the Freeport terminal in Birżebbuġa and the Luqa airport.

It will be a 12-week project costing €19,000

Questions on when the work would start and the present state of the bridge sent to Transport Malta were still unanswered at the time of writing.

The issue has been raised in several parliamentary questions, most recently a week ago today, when Transport Minister Ian Borg told Labour MP Clayton Bartolo that plans were in the pipeline to widen the road all the way to the Mellieħa bypass.

Furthermore, there are plans to reconstruct the stretch of road between the bridge and Tas-Simar, along the Xemxija front.

The work would be scheduled according to priorities and the issuance of permits, Dr Borg said.

In the last legislature, Opposition MPs Ċensu Galea and Robert Cutajar flagged the state of the bridge, with then transport minister Joe Mizzi playing down safety concerns.

Mr Mizzi said last March a visual inspection had revealed no imminent danger.