Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg visited the site where works are underway on Regional Road, as Infrastructure Malta has begun another phase in the rebuilding of the bridge which this road uses to cross over Msida Valley Road. The rebuilding of the bridge forms part of the project leading to the rebuilding and widening of Regional Road which forms part of the main route from the North to the South of the country.
“This is another important development in this project which will make a difference in the flow of traffic and especially in the safety of several drivers who make use of this main artery which continues connecting an important route from the northern to the southern part of the country,” said Minister Ian Borg.
He explained how after the past few months saw the demolition of part of the existing bridge as well as the building of new thick walls making up the sides of the structure, the first beams which will make up the new bridge deck have started being installed. In an operation that began at four in this morning, the first five beams of the bridge were transported from the manufacturing implant to the project site in Msida. Here the beams were immediately installed in place on the new walls making up the sides of the bridge.
Every concrete and metal beam being used in this new structure is 20 metres long and weighs 24 tonnes. When the bridge is completely rebuilt, it will be one of the widest structures of its kind in Malta, with a width of over 23.5 metres.
Now that the main elements of the first part of the new bridge are in place, Infrastructure Malta will continue building the deck by coating the beams in concrete before installing foundation materials and asphalt to form the first lanes. Beneath these road surface layers, the deck will also be coated in a layer of membrane specialised to protect the structure from an influx of rainwater. In this way, the bridge will have a longer lifetime with a lower risk of damages along the years.
“Through the Regional Road project, part of this road between Santa Venera and the Tal-Qroqq tunnels is being widened to six lanes while seven main junctions connecting to it are being built with a new design, towards more efficiency and more safety. Our aim is that while we reduce travelling time, we are also working to continue improving safety on our roads. The bridge we can see being rebuilt today was done in the seventies. Today we are looking to connect it to the safer design and we are looking to see that it is wide enough to accommodate the six new lanes of this road. We are dividing the work into phases to avoid disrupting traffic and to avoid creating inconveniences for those passing through the area. In the past months we completed the majority of the two new lanes which will be added at the sides of this part of Regional Road, which together come up to 1.1 kilometres,” said Minister Ian Borg.
In the northbound carriageway, the new lane will provide safer access from the slip roads joining Triq il-Wied tal-Imsida, Triq il-Ferrovija l-Antika in Birkirkara and Triq Kappillan Mifsud in Santa Venera with Regional Road while also improving the connection with the slip road going to Triq Dun Karm Psaila (the Birkirkara Bypass). In the southbound carriageway, the new lane will improve the flow of vehicles coming from the slip road joining the Birkirkara Bypass and the Tal-Qroqq roundabout with Regional Road while providing safer access to the exit from Regional Road to Triq il-Ferrovija l-Antika and Triq Kappillan Mifsud, the two roads which meet near the roundabout between Birkirkara and Santa Venera.
“I fully believe that this is another important project for the people, important for the transport sector. Today we have a government that is working holistically, that started working on the improvement of a route that starts from the Coast Road, continues with the Kappara Junction and then you have this important artery which we are working on right now and which will connect to the work we carried out on the Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass and what is ongoing in the Marsa Junction and then we will conclude with the Santa Luċija tunnels. This is a government which has a holistic vision, a government which sees that its success is shared with the people in every possible way, including through these infrastructural investments which lead to several benefits, both economic as well as regarding the quality of life of the people,” concluded Minister Ian Borg.
As a safety measure, only the part of Msida Valley Road which passes beneath the bridge itself where the new beams are being installed is closed today until 4.30pm.