Santa Lucija Underpass Project reaches halfway mark

• 14 Apr, 2020 |

Infrastructure Malta reached the halfway mark of the €20 million Santa Lucija Roundabout Underpass Project as it intensifies works to keep its scheduled end-December completion date, despite the ongoing Covid-19 difficulties.

This project includes two cut-and-cover tunnels beneath the Santa Lucija roundabout, to directly connect Santa Lucija Avenue (Addolorata Hill) with Tal-Barrani Road. Above this underpass, the existing roundabout will be rebuilt in a new design that facilitates safer and quicker access to the residents of Santa Lucija, Paola and Tarxien. The project also includes the redesign and reconstruction of a nearby jogging track, the upgrading of the Tal-Barrani Road pedestrian subway to be also accessible to cyclists and to persons with disability, as well as a new shared pedestrian and cycling path connecting Santa Lucija to Marsa.

The twin-tube, four-lane underpass will extend 90 metres beneath the existing roundabout, to connect the two carriageways of Santa Lucija Avenue with Tal-Barrani Road. Two approach ramps will link the tunnels to the two roads. The new roundabout above the underpass will be connected to Santa Lucija Avenue and Tal-Barrani Road through four slip roads. 

The excavation and formation of the 130-metre approach ramps to the tunnels on either side of the roundabout is nearing completion. Infrastructure Malta’s contractors are now excavating the final section of this connection, beneath the roundabout. Most of the retaining walls of the approach ramps are ready as well. Infrastructure Malta is using 398 precast reinforced concrete panels to form these walls. The construction of the slip roads is in progress as well. In the coming months, the slip roads will be used as temporary diversion lanes, whilst the final part of the tunnel structure is being built.

During the last few months, workers also built a 1.1 km twin walk-through underground culvert, extend from Tal-Barrani Road, along Santa Lucija Avenue, to reach another similar underground tunnel network built beneath the new flyovers of the Marsa Junction Project. These tunnels will accommodate one of the country’s principal 132kV high voltage electricity network connections.

Infrastructure Malta is also replacing a major underground potable water distribution pipeline in the same area. It is laying several kilometres of underground cable ducts for Internet, traffic management ICT systems and other telecommunication networks as well. New reservoirs and 2.7 kilometres of stormwater pipes are also in progress.

The existing Tal-Barrani Road pedestrian underpass (subway) connecting Tarxien and Santa Lucija will be rebuilt and upgraded with new ramps, to be accessible to all. The subway will also be directly linked to the reconstructed jogging track, so that it can be safely reached by Tarxien residents as well. The new jogging track is being built in consultation with the Santa Lucija Local Council. 

The project’s new shared pedestrian and cycling path, almost a kilometre long, will form part of a longer safe cycle route connecting Luqa, Santa Lucija, Tarxien, Paola, Marsa and Qormi. The first stretch of this bi-directional path was developed as part of the reconstruction of Hal Luqa Road, next to Santa Lucija’s Garden of Serenity. Through the Santa Lucija tunnels project, Infrastructure Malta will extend it down the northbound carriageway of Santa Lucija Avenue, until it reaches Marsa, where other segregated cycling tracks and a cycling and pedestrian underpass are being developed through the Marsa Junction Project.

The project works in Santa Lucija Avenue are being planned in conjunction with the construction of the seven flyovers of the Marsa Junction Project, two of which will connect this road to Aldo Moro Road. All works are being implemented in phases, to minimise difficulties to road users, as well as to nearby residents, businesses and other workplaces.

As it did in all its work sites, a few weeks ago Infrastructure Malta instructed the Santa Lucija Underpass contractors to implement additional precautions to protect workers, their families and nearby communities from the spread of Covid-19. These measures are being implemented in consultation with the public health authorities. Amongst other precautions, road workers are keeping a safe distance from each other whilst on site and breaks in groups are not allowed. Meetings in enclosed areas, such as site offices, are being avoided, as the project teams are making increased use of alternative communication channels. All surfaces on site, including tools and machinery, are being cleaned more often.

As the pandemic measures decreased the number of commuters on the road, Infrastructure Malta is allocating additional resources and rescheduling implementation plans to bring forward works that require road closures and diversions. Thus, these interventions are being carried out during times of low transport demand, to minimise difficulties to road users. Besides diversions to expedite projects such as the Santa Lucija Roundabout Underpass, Infrastructure Malta is also scheduling major repair and maintenance works in several busy roads in other parts of the country, which would have been more difficult to carry out under normal circumstances.
 

Central Link Project works gathering pace

• 03 Apr, 2020 |

As the implementation of the Central Link Project gathers pace, Infrastructure Malta is launching more works on site, including the laying of new sewers and stormwater pipelines.

The Central Link Project is a €55 million investment to reduce travel times, improve air quality and create safer spaces for alternative modes of travel along the arterial road corridor between Mriehel and Ta’ Qali. The development of this long-awaited upgrade started last January with the formation of the first sections of the new two-lane carriageway that will be added to the existing roads along this route. These new westbound lanes (Mriehel to Ta’ Qali) will eliminate a number of bottlenecks and inefficient traffic lights junctions from the centre of Attard, Balzan, Lija and Birkirkara, whilst opening up space for wider footpaths, safer crossings, new segregated cycling tracks and more landscaped areas.     

During the first quarter of the year, Infrastructure Malta’s contractors started the foundations of the new lanes between Mriehel and the Wied Incita area of Attard. These works included excavations of existing materials, the laying and compaction of the new road foundations and the building of long stretches of subsurface reinforcing structures with overlying boundary and retaining walls. This work will now extend to another area of the project, further west. At the same time, workers are now starting the excavations for a new underground sewer to reinforce the area’s wastewater network as well as the road’s stormwater catchments and pipelines.

As it did in all its work sites, a few weeks ago Infrastructure Malta instructed the Central Link Project contractors to implement additional precautions to protect workers, their families and nearby communities from the spread of Covid-19. These measures are being implemented in consultation with the public health authorities. Amongst other precautions, road workers are keeping a safe distance from each other whilst on site and breaks in groups are not allowed. Meetings in enclosed areas, such as site offices, are being avoided, as the project teams are making increased use of alternative communication channels. All surfaces on site, including tools and machinery, are being cleaned more often.

The Central Link Project is based on plans included in the 2006 Central Malta Local Plan, which had already indicated congestion along L-Imdina Road, In-Nutar Zarb Road and other nearby roads as a major problem for Attard and nearby localities. Infrastructure Malta optimised these 2006 plans to augment long-term efficiency and sustainability, to mitigate adverse impacts on adjacent lands and to add new infrastructure for bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists, which are currently almost inexistent along this route. The National Transport Master Plan 2025 also highlights the importance of this investment, listing the L-Imdina Road and In-Nutar Zarb Road corridor as the 12th of 29 priority sections of the EU’s TEN-T network in Malta that need to be urgently upgraded for increased safety and efficiency.

This project will halve travel times in this area and drastically reduce congestion pollution in nearby residential areas by reconstructing 13 junctions, removing four traffic lights systems and adding over seven kilometres of new lanes along a 4.3 kilometre road corridor. It also introduces many facilities for alternative modes of travel, including over 10 kilometres of safe pedestrian footpaths and segregated crossings, bus lay-bys and the longest segregated cycle track in the Maltese Islands, connecting Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan, Attard and Ta’ Qali. Infrastructure Malta will also develop over 24,000 square metres of new green landscaped areas along the project route.    

Infrastructure Malta is coordinating the works in different phases to minimise difficulties to over 30,000 road users who use this part of the network every day, and to nearby residents in Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard.

Before this project was approved by the planning and environmental authorities in 2019, multi-disciplinary team of experts completed a meticulous planning process, which included a public consultation process and a comprehensive environmental impact assessment. These independent studies analyse the short-, medium- and long-term benefits and impacts of the project. It also considers different proposals for the upgrading of the area’s road network and identifies the Central Link Project plans as the most beneficial solution in terms of air quality improvement, environmental sustainability and travel time reductions.

These scientific studies also confirm that the congestion difficulties faced by thousands of commuters every day will get worse if existing infrastructure is not improved. In fact, according to these studies, if the existing road network in this area is not upgraded, travelling from Mriehel to Ta’ Qali will take commuters two hours fifteen minutes, advancing at 1.83km/h in gridlock conditions. These studies also project that the improvements introduced by the Central Link Project will reduce existing travel times by 50%, even when considering potential future increases in transport demand.

The air quality study included as part of this assessment, which is based on 2018 air monitoring in several locations along the route, shows the effect of this gridlock situation on the area’s air quality. If the project is not implemented, particulate matter in the area, including Attard and Balzan, will increase by 278% by 2030. Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are the two main pollutants linked to road transport emissions. By eliminating existing bottlenecks and congested junctions, Central Link Project will reduce particulate matter by up to 66% by 2030, even when considering future transport demand. Similarly, nitrogen dioxide emissions will also decrease by 41%.

Completing the Qormi-Luqa road link upgrade

• 20 Mar, 2020 |

Infrastructure Malta completed the €9.5 million upgrade of Hal Qormi Road and San Tumas Road, the main route between Qormi and Luqa.

Through this project, the agency transformed these two-lane, single carriageway roads into a dual-carriageway, four-lane connection with a segregated cycling and walking track, new footpaths, safer bus lay-bys, improved roundabout junctions for reduced collision risks and new landscaped areas with 84 new trees.

This 1.5-kilometre route extends from the main Luqa roundabout connecting San Tumas Road with L-Avjazzjoni Avenue and Il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa Road, to the St Vincent de Paule roundabout, between Luqa, Qormi and Hal Farrug. This roundabout junction links Hal Qormi Road with L-Ingiered Road towards Marsa, and with Hal Luqa Road towards Qormi. 

The two roads form part of one of the most important south-central connections to and from several localities in southern Malta, including Luqa, Gudja, Ghaxaq, Kirkop, Safi, Mqabba, Zurrieq, Qrendi and Birzebbuga. They are also one of the main access routes to the Malta International Airport, the Luqa Industrial Estate, the Hal Far Industrial Estate, the Malta Freeport and other nearby business hubs.

Through the project completed this month, Infrastructure Malta rebuilt these two roads with new foundations, footpaths and boundary walls. It also laid 2.2 kilometres of new underground cables and pipelines to reinforce the area’s water, electricity, Internet and other telecommunication services, as well as an additional two kilometres of underground cables for a new LED street lighting system. This investment also included a new 1.7-kilometre storm water pipeline and a new 819,000-litre underground reservoir to reduce flooding risks and to harvest rainwater for the two roads’ new landscaping and green areas.

The two roundabouts in these roads were rebuilt in a new design for increased safety. One of them now has a northbound bypass lane to lower collision risks and to improve access to and from the centre of Luqa. The dual carriageways of the two roads are separated with landscaped strips, steel crash barriers and concrete barriers that reduce cross-median accidents. 

The new asphalt-surfaced, bi-directional, segregated cycling and walking track is the second of its kind in Malta, following the development of a similar one between Zabbar and Zejtun as part of the 2019 reconstruction of L-Ahhar Hbit mit-Torok Road. This new track adjoins the L-Avjazzjoni Avenue southbound cycle lane introduced in 2018.

By improving the efficiency and safety of these roads, Infrastructure Malta is reducing journey times and improving road safety for many commuters who use this route to travel to and from several southern localities and other nearby strategic locations every day. This project builds on other recent investments aimed at increasing the capacity, safety and sustainability of this south-central arterial route including the widening of Vjal l-Avjazzjoni in summer 2018, the reconstruction of the Luqa roundabout at the end of the same road and the upgrading of four roundabout junctions in Qormi and Zebbug.

Infrastructure Malta is now planning to further improve this route with the Kirkop Tunnels and Airport Intersection Project (KTAIP), which will see the development of a new grade-separated intersection including a flyover and two tunnels instead of the roundabout junction next to the Airport, in Gudja. 

The reconstruction of Hal Qormi Road and San Tumas Road also helps to ease the dependency on the principal south-central route of the Maltese road network through Santa Venera, Marsa, Paola and Santa Lucija. Infrastructure Malta is currently upgrading this route with other major projects, including the new flyovers of the Marsa Junction Project, the new Santa Lucija roundabout tunnels and the improvement of the Marsa Hamrun Bypass connections with nearby roads and localities.

Monumental artworks to embellish Marsa Junction Project areas

• 04 Mar, 2020 |

Infrastructure Malta is inviting artists, architects, designers and other competent persons or organisations to propose large-scale artworks to embellish the pedestrian and landscaped areas around the seven flyovers of the Marsa Junction Project.

Through this call for proposals in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv, the agency will identify up to four artworks to be incorporated in the green areas it is developing between Aldo Moro Road, in Marsa and the Addolorata Cemetery as part of the €70 million project to upgrade the busiest junction of the Maltese road network. The landscaped areas with trees and other plants are being formed around the new vehicle lanes, bus lanes, footpaths and segregated cycle lanes that this project is introducing to facilitate quicker and safer commutes for over 100,000 road users who use this junction every day. 

The works of art proposed must be between four and five metres high, with a base diameter of four and a half metres. One of the works will be placed over a 10-metre circular reflective pool. Participants are expected to propose permanent public artworks made of long-lasting materials that can withstand outdoor conditions. The cost of each artwork should not exceed €50,000. 

A selection committee including art experts and other stakeholders will evaluate and score each proposal. Up to four of the successful artworks will be selected to be created by the winning participants and installed on site by Infrastructure Malta by the end of the year. Successful proposals that are not selected for the Marsa Junction Project site can be considered for the landscaped areas of other ongoing or future Infrastructure Malta projects. The committee will announce its decision in June.
 
Infrastructure Malta will provide the winning participants with the funds required to produce the artwork within six months. It will also prepare the setting for the artworks on site in Marsa, including the surrounding landscaping, footpaths and lighting, so that the final work of art can be installed as soon as it is ready.  

Further details are available in the call for proposals document. A clarifications meeting and site visit for prospective participants will be held on Saturday, 14th March 2020. The deadline for submission of proposals is Monday, 27th April 2020. For more information, email MJPpublicart@infrastructuremalta.com.
 

L-Avjazzjoni Avenue bridge deck is in place

• 18 Feb, 2020 |

On Monday night, Infrastructure Malta hoisted and set in position the 34-metre steel deck of the new footbridge over L-Avjazzjoni Avenue, between Luqa and Gudja.

This €2.3 million investment will facilitate safer pedestrian, public transport and cycling commutes to and from these localities and other important nearby locations, including the Malta International Airport and the Institute of Tourism Studies.

Infrastructure Malta’s contractors fabricated the bridge’s 43-tonne deck in a specialised metalworks factory in Venice during the last quarter of 2019, before shipping it to Hal Far for final assembly. On Monday night, the deck was slowly transported to the project site through Hal Far Road, where cranes lifted it in place on two concrete pillars, one on either side of L-Avjazzjoni Avenue’s five-lane dual carriageway. 

The seven-metre pillars form part of two identical access and support buildings including helical concrete access ramps that will lead pedestrians and cyclists up to the gently-sloped bridge deck. In the centre of each spiral ramp structure, Infrastructure Malta is installing lifts to ensure that this infrastructure is accessible and comfortable to everyone, in line with guidelines established by the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability.

The new bridge will also link the two bus lay-bys (Avjazzjoni) at opposite sides of the road to provide safer access to public transport passengers and to the cycle lane and footpaths leading to the Airport and to other nearby localities.

This project, which may be part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union, is scheduled to be completed by summer. The new bridge is one of over six segregated pedestrian and cycling road crossings that Infrastructure Malta is implementing in Malta’s arterial road network in 2020 and 2021. Last week, the agency started lifting in place the first sections of another 105-metre footbridge at Blata l-Bajda, to connect several locations in Hamrun, Floriana and Marsa. This bridge will be open to road users by summer as well.

Infrastructure Malta will soon also start building a similar footbridge in Dom Mintoff Road, for safer walking and cycling routes between the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST)’s main campus, the residential and industrial zones of Corradino and the centre of Paola. 

Other new segregated road crossings are being developed as part of ongoing or upcoming Infrastructure Malta road projects, such as the Central Link Project in Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard, and the Marsa Junction Project, between Paola and Marsa. The agency is planning more footbridges, subways, segregated cycle tracks and footpaths for quicker connections and reduced accident risks in other localities as well.

New Blata l-Bajda footbridge starts taking shape

• 15 Feb, 2020 |

Infrastructure Malta started lifting in place the first two sections of the 105-metre deck of the new Blata l-Bajda pedestrian and cycling bridge connecting Hamrun, Marsa and Floriana, on Friday night.

The agency’s contractors started transporting these 16-tonne, 23-metre steel structures to the site from a workshop at the former Malta Shipbuilding site in Marsa at around eight in the evening. They worked throughout the night and are continuing this morning until the two structures are secured in their final position atop the concrete abutments and pillars of this new bridge. The southbound carriageway of San Gorg Preca Road (the stretch of road connecting Nazzjonali Road, Floriana and Dicembru 13 Road, Marsa) was closed during these works. It will be reopened by noon on Saturday. The other three deck sections forming this structure will be brought to the area in a similar overnight operation in the coming weeks.        

This new circular girder bridge will rise over San Gorg Preca Road, next to the MUSEUM Society headquarters, to connect Hamrun’s Il-Kbira San Guzepp (St Joseph High) Road with the Spencer Hill and the Menqa areas of Marsa, including the nearby ferry terminals and the Floriana Park and Ride facilities. It will provide a safer and quicker arterial road crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, replacing the existing pelican lights. The overpass will also create direct links between the five bus stops (Blata l-Bajda 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) located at either side of these busy arterial roads, making it easier for passengers to change buses on their way to and from many locations in the south of Malta. 

The structure’s design incorporates gently sloping ramps, taking cyclists and pedestrians from Il-Kbira San Guzepp Road, Hamrun, over the southbound carriageway of San Gorg Preca Road towards the other side of the road at Marsa. The geometry of the footbridge aims to smoothly link both sides of the road, with minimal impact on the adjacent landscaped areas. The structure also includes passenger lifts and stairs, to ensure it is accessible and comfortable to everyone.    

Infrastructure Malta’s contractors started fabricating the steel deck of this bridge during the second half of 2019. Meanwhile, at the project site they drilled 21 cores several storeys deep into the ground to cast the concrete piles serving as foundations for the bridge structures. These elements, including abutments, pillars, approach ramps, stairways and elevator shafts were also built during the last few months.

The Blata l-Bajda overpass project is a €2 million investment in safer spaces for alternative modes of travel, which may be part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union.         

Earlier this year Infrastructure Malta announced plans to develop a new subway with improved facilities to replace the old pedestrian underpass connecting four of the most important bus stops of Malta’s public transport network at the Portes des Bombes area of Floriana, a short distance away from the new Blata l-Bajda bridge.

Another pedestrian and cycling overpass is currently under construction in L-Avjazzjoni (Aviation) Avenue, between Gudja and Luqa. This bridge will give pedestrians, bus passengers and cyclists safer links between these localities, the Malta International Airport and the Institute of Tourism Studies. Infrastructure Malta is currently finalising plans for a similar footbridge in Dom Mintoff Road, to create a safer pedestrian and cycling route between the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST)’s main campus, the residential and industrial zones of Corradino and the centre of Paola. 

Other new facilities encouraging walking and cycling are being developed as part of other ongoing Infrastructure Malta road projects, including the Central Link Project at Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard, the reconstruction of Hal Qormi Road, between Qormi and Luqa, the Santa Lucija Roundabout Underpass Project and the Marsa Junction Project, between Paola and Marsa. 
 

Court reaffirms Central Link Project

• 12 Feb, 2020 |

Infrastructure Malta welcomes the court decision to definitively turn down an appeal against the Central Link Project, reiterating its commitment to implement this long-awaited project as soon as possible, for a better quality of life for thousands of residents in Attard, Balzan, Birkirkara, Mriehel and other nearby localities.

Wednesday’s court decision is the fifth consecutive affirmation of this project, despite several attempts by a few individuals intent on stopping its implementation in recent months. Last year, the Central Link Project plans were approved by the Planning Authority, reviewed and confirmed for funding by the European Commission and reaffirmed by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal. In December, the court also rejected a request to temporarily stop the project, confirming that Infrastructure Malta should not have been impeded from implementing it, despite any pending appeals by third parties.  

The road upgrade being implemented through the Central Link Project plans is listed as a priority project in the 2025 Transport Masterplan and in the 2006 Central Malta Local Plan.

In its decision on Wednesday, the court rejected all arguments put forward by a group of organisations and a few individuals in their appeal to stop the project.

Commenting on the way forward, Ing. Fredrick Azzopardi explained that this decision reaffirms the diligent procedures followed by the Infrastructure Malta team and several other entities and authorities to plan the design and implementation of the project. “We consulted all stakeholders and were always ready to incorporate feasible improvements to amplify this project’s benefits. Our doors are open to further suggestions even during implementation stage, where our main objective is to build this new infrastructure to the best possible quality levels in a reasonable timeframe, and with minimal adverse impacts on nearby communities. We are working hand in hand with the Planning Authority, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the Environment and Resources Authority to ensure that the project will have a long-term positive impact on the area’s natural and cultural heritage as well.”   

Ing. Azzopardi reiterated Infrastructure Malta’s commitment to implement the Central Link Project. “This investment is supported by a vast majority of people in Malta, as population surveys carried out in 2018, 2019 and last week confirmed. Residents and road users have been suffering the consequences of the existing route’s infrastructural limitations for decades. Excessive congestion in narrow arterial roads that have long exceeded their capacity are increasing travel time and fuel consumption, with a resulting increase in air and noise pollution, accident risks and other significant health and financial consequences. Thousands of families have long been waiting for this investment to take place.”

Infrastructure Malta’s CEO thanked all individuals and organisations who have been contributing to this project since 2018. A study by economist Gordon Cordina has identified the Central Link Project as the most beneficial road investment that is being implemented in Malta. In fact, for every €1 million allocated to this project, families and businesses in Malta will get back €16 million in cleaner air, reduced travel time, increased safety and lower fuel costs. This cost to benefit ratio is more than twice the average return of other major ongoing or recently completed road projects, which stands at €7 million benefits for every €1 million spent. Central Link Project will have a much greater positive impact on a larger section of the population currently affected by the congestion problems of the existing road infrastructure.

The project was planned through several technical studies to ensure its sustainability, as well as an Environmental Impact Assessment by independent experts approved by the Environment and Resources Authority. These studies confirmed that the project will halve travel times along this route and significantly reduce air and noise pollution caused by congestion, even when considering future transportation demand.  

About the project

Central Link Project is a major Infrastructure Malta investment to upgrade the quality, safety and sustainability of the main arterial route in central Malta, extending from the Mriehel Bypass, along Mdina Road, through Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard, to the roundabout at the foot of Saqqajja Hill, at Ta’ Qali. 

This project will halve travel times in this area by reconstructing 13 junctions, removing four traffic lights systems and adding over seven kilometres of new lanes along a 4.3 kilometre road corridor. It also introduces many facilities for alternative modes of travel, including safe pedestrian footpaths and segregated crossings, bus lay-bys and the longest segregated cycle track in the Maltese Islands, connecting Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan, Attard and Ta’ Qali.

The scientific studies, conducted as part of an extensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) during the planning process, confirm that existing congestion difficulties faced by thousands of commuters will get worse if existing infrastructure is not improved. In fact, according to these studies, if the existing road network in this area is not upgraded, travelling from Mriehel to Ta’ Qali will take commuters two hours fifteen minutes, advancing at 1.83km/h in gridlock conditions. These studies also project that the improvements introduced by the Central Link Project will reduce existing travel times by 50%, even when considering potential future increases in transport demand. 

The air quality study included as part of this assessment, which is based on 2018 air monitoring in several locations along the route, shows the effect of this gridlock situation on the area’s air quality. If the project is not implemented, particulate matter in the area, including Attard and Balzan, will increase by 278% by 2030. Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are the two main pollutants linked to road transport emissions. By eliminating existing bottlenecks and congested junctions, Central Link Project will reduce particulate matter by up to 66% by 2030, even when considering future transport demand. Similarly, nitrogen dioxide emissions will also decrease by 41%.

The EIA studies also analysed the long-term impacts of the project on the area’s existing flora and fauna. It concludes that “once the newly planted trees establish themselves, the adverse impact [of removing existing trees] during construction phase will gradually phase out. Since there will be more trees than existing, the overall impact is expected to be beneficial in the medium to long term.”

Contrary to rumours that over 600 trees will be uprooted, Infrastructure Malta affirms that 439 trees need to be removed or transplanted as part of this project. Only 67 of these trees are protected and 185 of them will not be discarded but transplanted within the same project area, under the guidance of arborists and other experts in this field. To mitigate this impact, Central Link Project includes the planting of another 587 indigenous trees within the project area, in Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan, Attard and Ta’ Qali. This means that once the project is completed, this region will have 333 more trees than there are today. Central Link Project also includes the development of over 51,000m2 of new pedestrian and landscaped areas.  

Finally, in addition to the trees that will be planted along the project route, Infrastructure Malta is already planting many more trees in other parts of Malta. In fact, 8,719 trees were planted in 40 urban and rural locations in Malta by the end of 2019. Another 1,200 were planted during the first month of 2020. Many other new trees will be added in other locations during the next few months.  
 

Infrastructure Malta issues PQQ for Malta-Gozo Tunnel Project

• 09 Jan, 2020 |

Infrastructure Malta is inviting interested companies or consortia to participate in the first of a three-stage process to identify the concessionaire who will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Malta-Gozo Tunnel.

Prospective bidders have three months, until Thursday 9th April 2020, to answer a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) to demonstrate their experience in similar tunnel developments, to show their environmental and health and safety record and to attest they have the technical capabilities and financial standing to successfully implement this project. 

The call for this PQQ was internationally announced earlier this week in the European Union’s Journal. All relevant documentation and submission forms are available through the Government’s online procurement system – www.etenders.gov.mt (IM049/2019).  

The Malta-Gozo Tunnel Project includes the development of a 14-kilometre, partly subsea, tunnel accommodating two vehicle lanes, one in each direction and a wide central buffer offering additional space for emergency vehicles. This highly-anticipated permanent connection between the two islands will alleviate the economic and social challenges that Gozitan families and businesses have been experiencing for decades due to the limitations of existing sea and air links.

Through the process being launched this week, Infrastructure Malta is seeking to identify a concessionaire to develop and operate the tunnel for a pre-defined number of years. The duration of the concession will be determined in the final stages of this process. At the end of the concession period, the concessionaire will be required to transfer the tunnel infrastructure to the Government. 

The PQQ also indicates that the Government’s preferred option is for this project to be self-financed, without any form of guarantees or subsidies. Details on tolls or other fees for tunnel users are not being requested in the PQQ stage. They will be identified during the final stage, which will focus on the bidders’ financial proposals. 

The planning of the Malta-Gozo Tunnel Project started several years ago as Transport Malta launched several technical, social and economic studies assessing the project’s viability. Infrastructure Malta was entrusted with this project when it was established in 2018. Soon after, in December of the same year, it issued a pre-information notice, which announced its intention to launch a competitive process to select the concessionaires that will develop this new infrastructure. 

In 2019, Infrastructure Malta intensified work on the preliminary studies necessary to launch this process. Nine voluminous studies, each comprising several reports, and other technical data, are being made publicly-available as part of the PQQ documentation, to serve as guidance to prospective bidders. They include preliminary geophysical and geological investigations based on land and seabed core samples extracted along the proposed tunnel route, traffic flow studies, terrestrial and marine surveys and more.

The PQQ documentation also includes a conceptual design of the proposed tunnel structure, extending from the Xemxija area of Malta to Nadur, in Gozo. This design was prepared for guidance purposes only and the final proposed plans may include different structures and technologies. In fact, during the three-stage procurement process, bidders will be invited to propose improvements and other modifications, as long as they adhere to pre-established international environmental and safety standards and other technological best practices and specifications.  

In 2018, the agency also engaged a team of independent experts approved by the planning and environmental authorities to conduct an extensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the proposed project. This study will be completed after the final proposed tunnel plans are confirmed through the procurement process being launched this week, so that the final assessment will take into consideration all specifications of the final design. Once completed, the EIA will be published for public consultation as part of the established planning and environmental authorities’ process to determine the project permits.  

The five top-ranking bidders of the initial PQQ stage will qualify for the second stage, which includes an Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD). During this stage, participants shall submit detailed technical plans of the proposed tunnel structure as well as the implementation, operation and maintenance solutions they would adopt if entrusted with the concession. Each participant will be invited to dialogue meetings to explain the proposal to the evaluation team analysing each proposal.

The selection process will be concluded with the Best and Final Offer (BAFO) stage. PQQ shortlisted candidates who would have participated in the ITPD stage will be requested to submit a final proposal for the project. This will include a detailed technical and financial offer based on the solution proposed in the previous stage. The selection team will then identify and recommend the best offer based on pre-established criteria. 

Infrastructure Malta is committed to continue supporting the planning and procurement team of experts working on this project, to identify the most sustainable solutions that can effectively attain the Government’s objective to give families and businesses in Gozo the connectivity required for a better quality of life and increased social and economic progress opportunities. 
 

Infrastructure Malta starts Central Link Project works

• 07 Jan, 2020 |

On Tuesday morning, Infrastructure Malta’s contractors started the Central Link Project, a €55 million investment to reduce travel times, improve air quality and create safer spaces for alternative modes of travel along the arterial road corridor between Mriehel and Ta’ Qali.

Works on this long-awaited upgrade are starting after the project plans were approved by the Planning Authority and reviewed by the European Commission in 2019. Last November, these plans were also reconfirmed by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal, which rejected a request by NGOs and seven individuals to revoke the project’s permits. A few days ago, the Civil Court’s First Hall also refused a request for a prohibitory injunction made by the same groups and reaffirmed that Infrastructure Malta can start implementing this important national project immediately.     

The Central Link Project is based on plans included in the 2006 Central Malta Local Plan, which had already indicated congestion along L-Imdina Road, In-Nutar Zarb Road and other nearby roads as a major problem for Attard and nearby localities. Infrastructure Malta optimised these 2006 plans to augment long-term efficiency and sustainability, to mitigate adverse impacts on adjacent lands and to add new infrastructure for bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists, which are currently almost inexistent along this route. The National Transport Master Plan 2025 also highlights the importance of this investment, listing the L-Imdina Road and In-Nutar Zarb Road corridor as the 12th of 29 priority sections of the EU’s TEN-T network in Malta that need to be urgently upgraded for increased safety and efficiency. 

This project will halve travel times in this area and drastically reduce congestion pollution in nearby residential areas by reconstructing 13 junctions, removing four traffic lights systems and adding over seven kilometres of new lanes along a 4.3 kilometre road corridor. It also introduces many facilities for alternative modes of travel, including over 10 kilometres of safe pedestrian footpaths and segregated crossings, bus lay-bys and the longest segregated cycle track in the Maltese Islands, connecting Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan, Attard and Ta’ Qali. Infrastructure Malta will also develop over 24,000 square metres of new green landscaped areas along the project route.    

Initial works starting this week include the excavations for the foundations of the new lanes, footpaths, bus lay-bys and cycle tracks that will be built along the project route, which extends from the Mriehel Bypass, along L-Imdina Road, through Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard, to the roundabout at the foot of Saqqajja Hill, at Ta’ Qali. 

Infrastructure Malta is coordinating the works in different phases to minimise difficulties to over 30,000 road users who use this part of the network every day, and to nearby residents in Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard. During this initial stage of the project, all existing lanes will remain open. The agency’s projects team will communicate any works necessitating lane closures to road users in advance and will make sure that such disruptions are scheduled to off peak hours, with adequate diversions and alternative routes. 

Works on site are starting after a multi-disciplinary team of experts completed a meticulous planning process, which included a public consultation process and a comprehensive environmental impact assessment. These independent studies analyse the short-, medium- and long-term benefits and impacts of the project. It also considers different proposals for the upgrading of the area’s road network and identifies the Central Link Project plans as the most beneficial solution in terms of air quality improvement, environmental sustainability and travel time reductions. 

These scientific studies also confirm that the congestion difficulties faced by thousands of commuters every day will get worse if existing infrastructure is not improved. In fact, according to these studies, if the existing road network in this area is not upgraded, travelling from Mriehel to Ta’ Qali will take commuters two hours fifteen minutes, advancing at 1.83km/h in gridlock conditions. These studies also project that the improvements introduced by the Central Link Project will reduce existing travel times by 50%, even when considering potential future increases in transport demand. 

The air quality study included as part of this assessment, which is based on 2018 air monitoring in several locations along the route, shows the effect of this gridlock situation on the area’s air quality. If the project is not implemented, particulate matter in the area, including Attard and Balzan, will increase by 278% by 2030. Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are the two main pollutants linked to road transport emissions. By eliminating existing bottlenecks and congested junctions, Central Link Project will reduce particulate matter by up to 66% by 2030, even when considering future transport demand. Similarly, nitrogen dioxide emissions will also decrease by 41%.
 

Third Marsa Junction flyover opens this week

• 09 Dec, 2019 |

Infrastructure Malta is opening the third new flyover of the Marsa Junction Project and eliminating the existing Addolorata traffic lights in the same area by the end of this week. 

Following the opening of the first two flyover structures in September, the implementation of this EU-funded project continued advancing rapidly. The third flyover was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2020. The other four flyovers of this project will be opened to road users by June of the same year.

As soon as the third flyover is open, Infrastructure Malta will also eliminate and dismantle the existing Addolorata traffic lights system. This new configuration will continue reducing travel times for over 100,000 road users who travel through this junction every day. 

The third Marsa Junction Project flyover will create a new direct connection between Aldo Moro Road and Santa Lucija Avenue. Infrastructure Malta started laying asphalt over its two-lane deck last week. Weather permitting, final works required to open it to road users will be ready this week.

The flyover will be temporarily opened in the southbound direction, from Marsa to Santa Lucija, so that the existing lanes of this route at ground level can be closed to make way for the construction of the other four flyovers. When these structures are ready as well, the third flyover will be used in the northbound direction, from Santa Lucija Avenue to Aldo Moro Road. 

The new flyover’s deck includes 65 concrete prestressed beams forming a 227-metre stretch of two-lane carriageway (twice the length of a football ground). At the Aldo Moro Road side, the flyover adjoins two of the four lanes of the first flyover, which is already in use. It rises to a height of 15.9 metres (over four and a half storeys) above another road at ground level.  

The €70 million Marsa Junction Project includes the development of a new multi-level intersection to replace the Addolorata traffic lights system with 12 kilometres of uninterrupted lanes, grade-separated at three levels, creating direct northbound and southbound connections between the arterial roads merging at this network node. It is ending traffic lights waiting times along this principal route to southern Malta, whilst reducing congestion emissions in Marsa and other nearby localities. 

The project also introduces new facilities for alternative modes of travel, such as footpaths and cycle paths, segregated pedestrian crossings, improved bus laybys, bus lanes, a park and ride area, new landscaped areas and other new infrastructure.
   
This investment is co-financed through the EU’s Cohesion Fund and Connecting Europe Facility.