With reference to last Saturday week’s press conference by a number of farmers on the proposed development of a bypass for Xemxija Hill, the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads would like to rectify the misleading information that was conveyed to the media at this activity.
It is worth mentioning that the proposed project was identified by foreign road engineering experts commissioned by the government to study and suggest improvements to the roads that form part of the Trans-European Network – Transport in Malta. The 13 projects identified – among which is the Xemxija bypass – are eligible for financing under the European Union’s Cohesion Fund.
Early last year, the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads and the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) launched a public consultation process on all these projects. A public meeting was held on 30 March 2006 to discuss the proposed projects. The proposed Xemxija bypass involved the widening of existing roads and the construction of a tunnel passing under Manikata. The construction of a new road passing through the fields was never proposed.
A report on the preliminary Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) that was carried out for this project in line with the terms of reference given by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), was also presented during the meeting. It is worth mentioning that this study was not the full EIA that would be required once the consultation process ends and the definitive route of the proposed bypass is determined.
Since farmers and residents of Manikata had put forward their objections to the project as it was proposed, during the same meeting it was agreed that a further technical meeting would be held at a later date with representatives of Manikata farmers and residents to analyse alternatives to the proposed route for this bypass. This technical meeting was held on 26 April and was followed by an on-site inspection by ADT engineers to investigate the possibility of an alternative route. Here it was decided that the ADT would go back to an option that it had previously discarded and meet the representatives of the residents and farmers once the new designs of the new proposal were completed. A representative of Manikata residents was present throughout the technical discussions on this proposal.
Since then, this proposal was designed, refined and passed on to MEPA to analyse the impact it will have on the surrounding environment. The old proposal can be discarded only when MEPA gets back with positive feedback on this new proposal.
The need for a bypass for Xemxija Hill emerges from the anticipated traffic growth in the northern part of the island. The road in Xemxija already carries 23,000 vehicles daily. This number is expected to increase to 26,000 by the year 2010. If no concrete action is taken to address this situation one will probably witness the long traffic queues to and from Mellieha one is used to seeing at the weekend even on weekdays. It is also likely that if such a situation were to persist, the additional traffic would start using the roads through Manikata and Mi¿ieb to avoid delays, despite the fact that these two roads were not designed to carry such large volumes of traffic. One can also anticipate difficulties for Gozitans and tourists travelling to Gozo.
The Ministry for Urban Development and Roads cannot understand the aim behind Saturday’s press conference, particularly since the government had proved that this project was not cast in stone and that it was ready to consider the proposals by the residents and farmers seriously. It is also disappointed to note that the organisers of the press event chose to completely ignore the developments that took place in this matter over the past two months, along with the meetings that were held and the new proposals that were put forward. It is therefore legitimate to ask what the real goals of this press conference were.
The government is duty-bound to find a solution for the Xemxija Hill problem for the benefit and road safety of the Maltese and Gozitan people.