The quality assurance system put in place by the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) did not fail when the road construction at Hemsija took place, Roads and Urban Development Minister Jesmond Mugliett told The Malta Independent yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference announcing the results of an inquiry into the cracking of the road soon after it had been constructed, Minister Mugliett said that the damage resulted in two stretches totalling 25 and 30 metres in opposite carriageways.

He explained that the quality assurance programme tested stretches of road every 3,000 square metres and the parts where the damage resulted had not been tested after their construction.

“I can confirm that the layers of tarmac on the road were made according to specifications. The tests were carried out by the contractor as is the practice in such cases, but the stretches in question were not tested and initially it was thought that there was some seepage from the adjoining fields.”

Minister Mugliett said that the Hemsija road was one of the last stretches completed with funds from the Italian protocol, with work coming to an end on 20 September. He said that the first cracks in the tarmac started appearing in January and the first tests with CCTV technology were carried out, indicating that there was damage below the road surface.

The minister said that further tests on the stretches in question were later carried out and after these were excavated, it resulted that the road base was not compacted up to the standards indicated in the tender specifications. He said that this resulted in the cracking of the road and eventual sliding, making it unusable.

Minister Mugliett said that there was further damage to some drain and water pipes due to the fact that these had been covered with concrete. He said that all these findings showed that the contractor had not carried out the work properly and according to tender specifications.

The minister said that all works to repair the road were completed in the past weeks and were carried out by the contractor at his expense. He said that the ADT was currently working on a process to issue a certificate of acceptance for all roads completed under the Italian Protocol.

The issuance of this certificate begins a five-year guarantee period during which the contractor remains responsible for any defects that appear in the roads, the minister added.