Infrastructure Malta starts Sally Port Promenade works

• 30 Mar, 2021 |

Infrastructure Malta is launching a €9 million project to regenerate the dilapidated Sally Port Road quays in Vittoriosa and the Kalkara Waterfront, upgrading a one-kilometre stretch of the Cottonera coastline, from the Villa Bighi area to Fort St Angelo. 

Works are starting this month with the reconstruction of circa 600 metres of quays in the area known as Sally Port or “It-Toqba”, transforming it into a new promenade. In collaboration with the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, this investment will also include the upgrading of the Kalkara Waterfront and the locality’s square, in the same area.

Works are starting with the removal of parts of the old Sally Port quays that were badly damaged by storms through the years. These concrete structures are at risk of caving in, causing public safety concerns. In the meantime, a team of divers is repairing and stabilising the underwater sections of other sections of the quays, which will be retained and incorporated in the new promenade.

The reconstruction of the Sally Port quays will turn a neglected seafront area in Cottonera into a new promenade, with wide, paved footpaths, benches and decorative lighting. It will also include a public garden, new public toilets and landscaped areas with flower beds and shrubs suitable for this coastal environment. This new outdoor recreational space will be directly linked to the centre of Vittoriosa, through the historical sally port tunnel built within the bastions separating the quays from the city. It will also be connected to the Vittoriosa (Birgu) Waterfront, creating an uninterrupted pedestrian route from the Villa Bighi area of Kalkara to the Birgu marina, the Dock 1 area of Cospicua, the Senglea waterfront and all the way to Boiler Wharf, beneath the Gardjola Gardens.

The planning of this project started in 2018 with initial studies to determine the structural condition of the Sally Port quays. After years of storm damages and lack of maintenance and repairs, these quays and the road above them (Il-Piccolo Soccorso 1565 Road) had started to become inaccessible, with serious safety risks to road users, mariners and pedestrians. During the February 2019 Gregale storm which caused extensive damages in different parts of Malta, long stretches of the quays caved in. Infrastructure Malta carried out temporary repairs to restore access to the area and intensified work on the reconstruction plans, which had been assigned to it a month earlier when the agency’s remit was extended to incorporate maritime infrastructure. 

As part of the design and planning of the new quays, Infrastructure Malta consulted the Planning Authority, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the Environment and Resources Authority, amongst others, to ensure the protection of this area’s heritage and the Grand Harbour’s marine environment. Following a public consultation period, the Planning Authority issued the development permits for this project last month. The reconstruction of the quays and the development of the new promenade are scheduled to be completed within 18 months. 

Infrastructure Malta is also collaborating with the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation to extend this project to the adjacent Kalkara Waterfront, so that the entire area can be embellished in the same design. Works in Kalkara will include the construction of new footpaths, the embellishment of the square in front of the Parish Church and the reinforcement of the existing promenade.

Maritime infrastructure

• Last Updated: 06 Sep, 2022 |

Infrastructure Malta is entrusted with the development and maintenance of maritime infrastructure in Malta’s ports and other coastal locations, including facilities used by the fishing and water transport industries

Qrejten Breakwater

In summer 2019 Infrastructure Malta started the construction of a 110-metre breakwater at Qrejten Point, to shield the Marsaxlokk fishing port from strong currents and high waves, reducing the risk of storm damage to fishing boats and other coastal properties. This new infrastructure will provide safer working conditions for Marsaxlokk’s fishing community. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

New landing facilities for ferry passengers 

Ferry commutes in the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour areas are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative mode of travel in this region. 1.5 million passengers used the existing ferry service between Cottonera, Valletta and Sliema in 2018. After completing the first phase of the construction of new landing facilities at Marsamxett (Valletta) in the beginning of 2019, Infrastructure Malta is now developing another two terminals in Sliema and Cospicua. This new infrastructure will consist of ferry stations built over water, with adequate sheltered waiting areas, space for marshalling as well as facilities for mooring of vessels and access ramps catering for all user needs. 

The second phase of the Marsamxett landing facilities, comprising a new sheltered waiting area next to the new quay and access ramps introduced earlier this year, will be implemented in 2020. These projects are part-funded by the European Regional and Development Fund of the European Union.

Upgrading the Mgarr fishing port in Gozo

This €6 million EU-funded project includes the upgrading of the fishing port of Mgarr, Gozo. Ongoing works include the building of new quays, dredging of the seabed to a depth of 3 metres and the replacement of all fishing pontoons used by this port’s fishing communities. The new pontoons will have up to 90 more spaces than currently available, to accommodate fishers who do not have a sheltered berth for their boats.

New pontoons at Il-Maghluq, Marsaxlokk

Infrastructure Malta will be carrying out dredging works at the Il-Maghluq area of the Marsaxlokk port, to increase its depth and improve its accessibility. The current shallow levels are prohibiting the use of many of the berthing spaces along the area’s four old pontoons. Once the seabed dredging is completed, the agency will be dismantling the existing pontoons to install new ones with improved facilities.  

Reconstruction of quays and other coastal structures

Infrastructure Malta is engaged in an ongoing investment to repair or reconstruct, as necessary, quays and other structures along the coast of Malta and Gozo. Quays and concrete platforms at Mgarr ix-Xini Bay, in Gozo and at Santa Marija Bay, Comino are being rebuilt in 2019. At Birgu’s Sally Port, Infrastructure Malta completed several emergency repair works following the February 2019 Gregale gale storm. It is finalising plans to rebuild and widen this 600-metre quay and introduce seating areas and walkways connected to the existing Birgu Waterfront and Kalkara promenades.       

Deep Water Quay project
 
The implementation of Phase 2 of the Deep Water Quay project is scheduled to commence between Q4 2019 and Q1 2020. This area of the Grand Harbour will be extended to cater for cruise liners as well as cargo operations. The project involves major reconstruction, refurbishment and upgrading works so that this quay will be able to handle large cruise liners as well as heavier loads from cargo operations.
 
Grand Harbour upgrade

Infrastructure Malta is also planning Malta’s largest maritime project in the Grand Harbour. The first stage of this investment involves dredging to deepen waters around various quays and along the port’s fairway, to accommodate modern and larger vessels. The second component includes the construction of a breakwater berm below the Taz-Ziemel area to improve wave conditions in the port especially in the area operated by ferries and within the creeks. The final and largest phase of the project will see the construction of a new cargo handling facility at Ras Hanzir. This will include a new quay connecting Laboratory Wharf to Fuel Wharf and land reclamation to create a storage and operational area. The project will be carried out between 2020 and 2023. It is part-funded by the European Union’s Cohesion Fund.
   
Marsaxlokk slipways

Through a €700,000 project co-financed by the European Union, during the first half of 2019 Infrastructure Malta upgraded the ten slipways used by fishers in the Marsaxlokk fishing port. Most of these slipways had suffered extensive structural damage due to the elements and needed to be demolished and rebuilt. One of them was also redesigned to accommodate larger vessels used by fishers operating from this port.   

Marsamxett ferry landing facilities

In January 2019, Infrastructure Malta completed the first phase of the new Marsamxett landing facilities for ferry passengers travelling between Valletta and Sliema. The project included structural upgrades to the area’s quay to accommodate new access ramps with increased safety and accessibility to passengers boarding or alighting the ferries. The final phase of the project, including the construction of a sheltered waiting and ticketing area, will be implemented in 2020.