Next week, Infrastructure Malta will introduce major modifications to the Marsa Junction traffic lights and all roads leading to them, to make way for the construction of the first two of the seven flyover structures which form part of the Marsa Junction Project.

The agency is currently preparing to start the third phase of this €70 million infrastructural investment. In the coming days, Infrastructure Malta will open new temporary lanes whilst closing some of the existing ones. It will also switch off and shift the existing traffic lights controlling the busiest junction of the Maltese road network, to clear space for the flyovers' pillars. A road map showing the new temporary routes, which will remain in place for several months, can be viewed on Infrastructure Malta's social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The main changes in the southbound direction (from Marsa to Paola) include:

Marsa to Corradino: The southern section of the southbound carriageway of Triq Aldo Moro (next to the former Malta Shipbuilding site) will be narrowed from four to two lanes, which will lead to Vjal Sir Paul Boffa only, towards Corradino, Paola and the Three Cities.

Marsa to Santa Lucija, Airport, Qormi: Two new temporary lanes opening up to four lanes will connect the southbound carriageway of Triq Aldo Moro to Vjal Santa Lucija (towards the Santa Lucija roundabout and Triq tal-Barrani), Triq Garibaldi (towards Luqa, Gudja and the Airport) and Triq il-Gvern Lokali (Government Printing Press) towards Triq il-Marsa (Turkish Cemetery) to get to Qormi. These temporary lanes are being built within the site of the two old factories demolished as part of the first phase of the project.

New lanes to Airport, Qormi: Another two temporary lanes are being set up within the grounds of the parking area next to the Addolorata Cemetery, to connect the northbound and southbound carriageways of Vjal Santa Lucija with Triq Garibaldi (towards Luqa, Gudja and the Airport) and Triq il-Gvern Lokali (towards Triq il-Marsa, the Turkish Cemetery area and on to Qormi). Road users travelling southbound from Triq Aldo Moro will need to head towards Vjal Santa Lucija and use these new temporary lanes to get to Triq Garibaldi or Triq il-Gvern Lokali.    

In the northbound direction (from Corradino and Santa Lucija towards Marsa), road users will continue using the same lanes, but some changes will apply:              

New traffic lights: New temporary traffic lights are being set up in Vjal Santa Lucija's northbound carriageway, next to the entrance of the Addolorata Cemetery. They will replace the existing ones at the Marsa Junction crossroads.

Santa Lucija, Corradino to Qormi: Road users travelling from the south of Malta towards Qormi through Triq il-Gvern Lokali (Government Printing Press) and Triq il-Marsa (Turkish Cemetery area) will need to take the new temporary lanes within the parking area next to the Addolorata Cemetery, by turning left as soon as they drive through the new traffic lights in the same area.   

Infrastructure Malta is placing roadside signs and destination name road markings along the routes of the Marsa Junction to help road users get used to the new lane arrangements. 

Once this new traffic management is in place by the end of next week, Infrastructure Malta will cordon off the area of the closed lanes, and nearby sites, to launch the third phase of the Marsa Junction Project.

This phase will commence with the excavation and the laying of foundations for the pillars of the first two flyover structures. They include two interconnected bridges to link Triq Aldo Moro with Triq Garibaldi. Eventually, these structures will also lead to a third flyover, towards Vjal Santa Lucija.   

The first phase of the Marsa Junction Project, including the demolition of two old factories to make way for the new road structures, was completed earlier this year. The reconstruction of Triq il-Gvern Lokali, Triq Guze Gatt (the northern end of Triq il-Gvern Lokali) and the widening and rebuilding of Triq Aldo Moro to a ten-lane road formed part of the second phase, completed last month.

The 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 the existing complex traffic lights system with 12 kilometres of new uninterrupted lanes connecting the different routes converging at this junction. 

This project is co-financed through the EU's Connecting Europe Facility.