Aldo Moro and December 13 roads and the Marsa-Ħamrun bypass are to be upgraded in a €2.5 million project to eliminate accident black spots and improve travel times, the Transport Ministry said.  

The investment will link the Santa Luċija roundabout tunnels project and the Marsa Junction Project to the Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass Project. It will improve the safety, efficiency and quality of the last remaining stretch of the four-kilometre arterial route from Triq tal-Barrani at Tarxien towards the Santa Venera tunnels and the Mrieħel bypass, the ministry said. 

Preparatory work for the new project will start in the next few days, so that all works could be completed before the start of the scholastic year.

The works will include a re-design and upgrading of Triq Aldo Moro's roundabout junction at the Salib tal-Marsa area, the widening of parts of Triq Diċembru 13 and the Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass and the building of several dedicated lanes to facilitate safer connections between the three arterial roads.

The slip road leading to St Venera is normally busy with traffic.

Slip roads to be widened, roundabout re-designed

The one-lane slip road linking the north-bound carriageway of Triq Diċembru 13 to the Marsa-Ħamrun bypass will be widened to accommodate two lanes. Similarly, the slip road linking the south-bound carriageway of this road to the same Bypass will be upgraded to a continuous lane, to reduce the risk of collisions.

The Triq Aldo Moro roundabout junction at the Salib tal-Marsa area will also be re-designed to facilitate safer connections. 

New public parking areas will be developed at the Salib tal-Marsa area, whilst existing landscaped areas will be enlarged and embellished with new trees and other plants.

Fifty-six eucalyptus trees, an invasive species, along part of Triq Diċembru 13, will be replaced by 113 new indigenous trees at different areas along the project route. A few indigenous trees that need to be displaced for safety reasons will be replanted in other nearby areas.

Several contractors will be carrying out the required works at different parts of the route simultaneously.

Transport Malta's Roads and Infrastructure Directorate will be coordinating the  works to minimise disruptions.

Transport Minister Ian Borg said the project was planned earlier this year to tackle the last remaining bottlenecks along this Tarxien-Paola-Marsa-Santa Venera-Mrieħel link.

“The ongoing optimisation of our arterial road network will facilitate the daily travel of thousands of road users, eliminating difficulties which we have been facing for many years,” the minister said.