Infrastructure Malta said it is concluding the second phase of the Marsa Junction Project with several works in Triq il-Marsa, the road linking Qormi to Triq Aldo Moro in Marsa.
The southern end of Triq il-Marsa, at the junction with Triq Aldo Moro next to the Turkish Cemetery, will be closed to road users between Saturday 1st and Sunday 16th September. This road closure will allow Infrastructure Malta’s contractors to safely complete the connections of the new lanes and underlying distribution systems of the northbound carriageway of Triq Aldo Moro with Triq il-Marsa and with Triq il-Gvern Lokali, which was also rebuilt earlier this year as part of this project.
Road users travelling from Qormi through Triq il-Marsa will be directed to the alternative route through the Marsa Industrial Estate, towards Triq Garibaldi. Access from Triq il-Marsa to and from Luqa and to all areas of the Marsa Industrial Estate will not be affected.
In the opposite direction, since the Triq Aldo Moro exit to Triq il-Marsa will be inaccessible, road users travelling to Qormi can use the same alternative route by taking the Triq Garibaldi exit towards the Marsa Industrial Estate. One can also continue along Triq Aldo Moro and reach Qormi through the Marsa-Hamrun Bypass.
Roadside direction signs at Triq Garibaldi, Triq Aldo Moro, the Marsa Industrial Estate and other nearby roads and junctions are in place to guide road users through the alternative routes.
The €70 million Marsa Junction Project includes the construction of new roads, a seven-flyover multilevel intersection, pedestrian pathways, bicycle lanes, park and ride facilities, landscaped areas and other developments to upgrade the busiest node of the Maltese road network. The project aims to drastically reduce travelling times and congestion emissions in this area by replacing Triq Aldo Moro’s complex traffic lights system next to the Addolorata Cemetery with 12 kilometres of new uninterrupted lanes connecting the different routes converging at this junction.
The project is being implemented in several phases to minimise difficulties to road users. Alternative routes and other temporary measures are being made available when the existing ones need to be temporarily closed for road works. New lanes are being opened as soon as they are constructed to facilitate existing traffic flows even before the project’s flyover structures are developed.
The first phase of the Marsa Junction Project, including the demolition of two old factories to make way for the new infrastructure, was completed earlier this year. In February, other contractors moved in to start the second phase of the project. During the last few months, works on site included the development of the new lanes, pavements and cycle lanes in Triq Aldo Moro, the rebuilding of the service road next to its southbound carriageway and the re-alignment and reconstruction of an adjacent road, Triq il-Gvern Lokali.
Beneath these new and rebuilt roads, the contractors also developed extensive networks of new underground distribution systems for water, electricity, sewage and telecommunications services. Over seven kilometres of trenches and walk-through service culverts were required to reposition the utilities and telecommunications networks going through the junction and to develop additional infrastructure for future requirements. A new 1.7 kilometre underground storm water system was also built beneath the new road surface.
As this second stage nears completion, Infrastructure Malta will soon start the project’s final and longest phase, including the construction of the flyovers and other related structures. The Marsa Junction Project is co-financed through the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility.