With the recent opening of the Luqa/Qormi connection, all of the roads around the Luqa Junction Project and the Kirkop Tunnels and Airport Intersection Project are now accessible in their permanent direction, the government said Monday.
This was announced during a visit by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Aaron Farrugia.
The Luqa Junction Project offers two uninterrupted lanes from l-Avjazzjoni Avenue towards Il-Kunsill Tal-Ewropa Road (Gudja/Airport/Ħal Far/Kirkop Tunnels towards Valletta/Marsa/Santa Luċija/Tarxien), two uninterrupted lanes from Il-Kunsill Tal-Ewropa Road towards L-Avjazzjoni Avenue (Valletta/Marsa/Santa Luċija/Tarxien towards Gudja/Airport/Hal Far/Kirkop Tunnels), a continuous route from L-Avjazzjoni Avenue towards Qormi (Gudja/Airport/Ħal Far/Kirkop Tunnels towards Qormi/Luqa/Żebbuġ), a single lane flyover connecting San Tumas Road and Il-Kunsill Tal-Ewropa Road with l-Avjazzjoni Avenue and the Kirkop Tunnels and Airport Intersection Project, and a cut-and-cover tunnel.
Minister Aaron Farrugia emphasised the importance of this project in ensuring a continuous traffic flow in this critical area. “This project will further elevate Malta’s key infrastructure. It will prepare our country for present and future infrastructural challenges. Now that all of the permanent routes have been successfully opened, we will be shifting attention to the final part of this project, completing the new tunnel” concluded Minister Farrugia.
Infrastructure Malta (IM) will now focus on completing the new 60-metre tunnel, as all excavation works are ready. The agency is forming the rebar structure and ramp next to the Luqa/Qormi connection and will lift in place the remaining reinforced concrete panels to form the walls of the underpass. This cut-and-cover tunnel will ultimately link the westbound carriageway of Il-Kunsill Tal-Ewropa Road with the northbound carriageway of San Tumas Road, offering a direct and uninterrupted link from Santa Luċija/Marsa towards Luqa/Qormi, and without crossing oncoming traffic from other destinations in the same direction.
IM will embellish the project with new trees and shrubs, developing a new recreational open space with easy pedestrian access from the centre of Luqa.
The Luqa Junction Project is an €11-million investment to replace this locality’s principal roundabout with a multi-level junction facilitating quicker and safer connections between Qormi, Luqa, Santa Luċija, Marsa, Gudja, the Airport and the Kirkop Tunnels. The project incorporates pathways, pedestrian crossings and a new segregated cycling and pedestrian path along Il-Kunsill Tal-Ewropa Road.
Present for this event were the IM team and contractors involved in this project.