The Roads and Urban Development Ministry has just announced that another e11 million has been allocated to Malta for road construction under the EU cohesion funds.

It must be said that this in itself is positive. One thing about which we as a country have moaned for many years is the terrible roads that we have had to put up with. If we put things into perspective, we should remember that only about five years ago, our roads were shameful to say the least. They would wear smooth within a matter of months, they would undulate due to bad foundations, pot holes as large as craters would appear after rain – not to mention, of course, the constant ripping up of tarmac to carry out repairs to services which were passed under roads.

Now things are being done differently. Road foundations are being laid properly and surfaces will last 25 years – well, that’s what the government says, and let’s hope they are right. Another hugely important factor is that services are being passed through ducts at the sides of the roads, which facilitates repairs and eliminates the need to rip up the road surface – causing miles of tailbacks, as well as ruining the road for good.

So far, the government has managed to secure funding for road reconstruction through a protocol arrangement with the Italian Government, whereby a total of 16 kilometres of roads are in the process of being totally reconstructed.

The e11 million, the allocation of which was announced yesterday, will be used for the reconstruction of another three roads, covering 5.9 kilometres in total.

Another e12.5 million has been allocated to other projects through structural and cohesion funds. But it does not end there. The government intends to apply for more funding, once the next EU financial period opens in January 2007. This funding will be channelled into bringing Malta totally in line with EU standards on the transportation network by joining the TEN-T and will cover some 50 kilometres of roads.

Everyone must agree that these projects are beneficial. After all, as mentioned above, the people of Malta have been harping on about the need for new roads for years. Yet now, cries of dissent have been heard – with members of the public and the opposition saying that the work is causing huge disruption on the roads. Granted, there has been disruption, but this is a classic case of wanting our cake and wanting to eat it too. To put things into perspective, the roads constructed under the Italian Protocol funds are being built to improve traffic flow. They are also designed to alleviate congestion and to provide alternative routes, once the next projects under cohesion funding and the TEN-T network are underway.

We should be more patient and allow the work to continue – we will all reap the benefits in the end. People must realise that there is bound to be confusion and congestion until these roads are at least completed and opened. In very simple terms, we should not moan about having bad roads, then moan because too many are being built.

On the other hand, the government must ensure that time frames are adhered to. It is not enough to simply fine the contractor for not finishing on time – people don’t care about that. What they want is a good product, delivered by the promised date. In addition, government must also chase after contractors to ensure that adequate safety precautions are taken, because there have been incidents where areas have been left unsafe.

Another area that needs some attention is the planning of traffic diversions, which should be more clearly signposted and easier to find. Yet, we would all benefit from exercising just that little bit of patience.