A number of bridges and other road infrastructure is going to be studied to determine whether they require any urgent interventions, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg promised on Friday.

He was speaking during a technical briefing by Transport Malta's Roads and Infrastructure Directorate, which is currently working around the clock on northbound carriageway of the Mistra road.

A section of the walls retaining the foundations of the road – which passes over the oldest parts of the bridge – was found to be at risk of collapsing.

The northbound lane, from Xemxija to Mellieħa, was last week cordoned off as a safety measure, and to reduce the risk of further damage.

Urgent excavation works are now underway to determine the extent of the damage

Urgent excavation works are now underway to determine the extent of the damage and to stabilise and restore the dangerous structure before rebuilding the road it is supporting.

Sign-posted diversion routes through Manikata and Miżieb are in place as an alternative to this arterial road to reduce inconveniences and delays to road users travelling through the area.

Structural engineers and architects explained that lack of general maintenance through the years was one of the main causes of the rapid deterioration of the structure’s stability.

“We can't keep spending millions in developing new roads and rebuilding existing ones and then leaving them to their own fate. Infrastructure Malta must invest in periodic structural inspections and maintenance of the entire road network, to make sure it is kept safe and in the best possible condition from one year to another,” Dr Borg said.

The earliest records of the Mistra Bridge date back to at least 1884 when the oldest part of the existing structure was built by the Royal Engineers. The bridge extends over the Mistra Valley and originally, rainwater flowing down the valley bed was channelled under the bridge’s archway, towards Mistra Bay.

However, this watercourse was eventually restricted with a dam and the area under the bridge was turned into a road, which is still in use today to get to Mistra Bay.

The bridge's old limestone structure was modified in the 1920s, when the road above it was first widened. In the 1950s, the road was extended by another lane through the formation of a new concrete bridge abutting the south side of the older stone structure. Today, the northbound lanes are supported by the stone bridge while the southbound lanes span over the post-war concrete structure.

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