A call for offers for the rebuilding of Triq Ħal Luqa, the arterial road linking the Santa Luċija roundabout to Luqa and Gudja, has been issued, the Infrastructure Ministry said.
The project comprises the rebuilding of the road into a four-lane dual carriageway, redesigned junctions for improved access to Santa Luċija, additional road safety systems to reduce the risk of accidents and new facilities for alternative, environmentally friendly modes of travel, including pedestrian and cycling facilities.
This €4 million investment is one of several infrastructural projects being entrusted to Infrastructure Malta, the new government agency that will be officially established this summer, following new legislation passed in Parliament this month.
Triq Ħal Luqa extends 0.8 kilometres, from the Santa Luċija roundabout junction linking Marsa, Paola, Tarxien and Santa Luċija, towards the roundabout connecting the road to Triq Giuseppe Garibaldi and Triq il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa. It includes two T-junctions leading to and from Santa Luċija, as well as access roads to the St Thomas More College Secondary School and the Addolorata Cemetery.
Preparatory works for this project, including the temporary widening of the existing road were carried out earlier this year. Works on site are expected to commence towards the end of the year, as soon as the tendering process for the required road work services is concluded.
Once rebuilt, this road will include a central strip equipped with new street lighting, vehicle restraint (crash barriers) systems and motorcycle strips, for increased road safety. The existing T-junctions to Santa Luċija will be rebuilt in a new design to facilitate safer commutes to and from the locality. The new road design will also incorporate pedestrian crossings and improved bus bays for public transport.
Over 170 indigenous trees will be planted along the sides of the road and in nearby areas.
The road will also feature an 800-metre raised track comprising a combined bidirectional cycle track and a pedestrian pathway. The cycle track will eventually link up to the new cycling facilities being developed as part of other upcoming and ongoing projects in the area.
These projects include the upgrading of the Santa Luċija roundabout into a multi-level intersection with two underground tunnels, and the Marsa Junction Project’s seven-flyover intersection at Triq Aldo Moro, between Marsa and Paola.
The rebuilding of Triq Ħal Luqa will be planned to complement the development of the Santa Luċija roundabout and the third phase of the Marsa Junction Project, expected to gather pace in 2019. Roadworks will be implemented in phases, and scheduled to avoid disruptions to road users or other difficulties for the area’s residents.
Transport Minister Ian Borg said the rebuilding of Triq Ħal Luqa was an important development for thousands of road users who used this arterial road during their daily commutes.
“Such projects form part of a wider infrastructural plan consisting of short, medium and long-term interventions to gradually augment the quality, efficiency and safety of the country’s arterial road network, to meet current and future travel requirements, and to develop improved facilities for alternative modes of transportation.
Through a new focused approach, Infrastructure Malta will be planning and implementing these projects, whilst coordinating an unprecedented investment in the repair and rebuilding of many other residential and rural roads across Malta and Gozo,” Dr Borg explained.