It was, of course, an April Fool's joke.

Our story below that there are plans to build a bridge across the mouth of the Grand Harbour was our prank for April Fool's Day. In a day and age of fake news, it's the only one you will get from us this year.

The design work for the superimposition of the bridge crossing from Valletta to Cottonera was carried out by our designer Conrad Bondin.

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Plans are in hand to construct a bridge linking Valletta to Cottonera in a bid to ease the traffic below between the two peninsulas on either side of the Grand Harbour.

The project would be a public-private initiative, and several investors are being sought to finance the bridge. The intention is to have it ready by 2021.

The distance between the two ends of the port is much shorter than the distance between Malta and Gozo, for which there are also plans of a permanent link. This should make the construction of the Grand Harbour bridge much easier to complete, within established timeframes and at a much lower cost.

The bridge is set to be built between the area close to the Great Siege Bell in lower Valletta and the Ricasoli area. It needs to be at least 22 storeys high to allow for the safe passage of cruise-liners beneath it.