Road building works at Marsascala bypass are going on at a constant pace, according to schedule and within budget while many of its sharp bends and accident black spots are being corrected.

As a result two kilometres of road are being re-alligned while a depth of two metres of soil was removed from parts of the road which had not been built according to standards, said officials from the Malta Transport Authority’s Network Infrastructure Directorate as Infrastructure, Transport and Communications Minister Austin Gatt visited works.

The project comprises five phases and has a total allocated budget of e9.5 million, e7 million of which are covered by EU funds.

The project was envisaged to take 56 weeks and some 30 per cent of the works has been concluded while the project is in week 17.

Phase one comprised the commercial area where a number of houses are also situated and consequently works took off at a slow pace in a bid to mitigate inconvenience for commercial outlets and residents. Clay was also found underneath the road surface and excavation works were carried out.

In the meantime, a one-way route towards Marsascala was open since the commencement of works, and this was a further challenge for workers, Minister Gatt noted.

Works started in February and the first phase was concluded in March. Phase two and three are currently ongoing. Work at parts of the bypass which fall within Marsascala, a sensitive tourist area, are planned to commence at the end of summer.

Patching works have taken place at the former Marsascala bypass (Marsascala Road, Zabbar) and all the roads to which traffic is diverted. Such works cost the government e633,000.

Meanwhile, resurfacing works were also carried out before the summer months in Bugibba which cost e300,000 and had to be carried out since road works done 10 years ago were not up to standard. Further works were carried out on roads which fell under the responsibility of local councils but which were in a forlorn state, including Kappara Road and Sliema Road.

Addressing a press conference Dr Gatt explained that the Marsascala bypass had been designed in a way which made little if any sense.

Road safety and convenience measures have now been made a priority in work planning and road designing and thus for the first time the works area was separate from the carriage way. Works went on for 12 hours a day, however road works which are to commence shortly at Valletta Road, Zurrieq (close to the ST Microelectronics plant) which is an uninhabited area will go on 24 hours a day.

While describing the Marsascala bypass as a challenging road, Dr Gatt said the ADT had improved its planning work, methodology and testing which together with better team work were giving the desired results.