Replacing the Manwel Dimech Bridge of the Regional Road will be a headache not only from a construction point of view, but also from the perspective of the changes that have to be made to the area’s traffic network until the project is completed.

Demolition work will be starting next month and will take up to a year (why so long?) for the new decks to be built, if the deadlines are met. The work will be done in two phases – first, one side of the bridge will be pulled down and rebuilt and, when this is completed, the other side will undergo the same procedure.

The columns supporting the bridge will not be removed but will instead be strengthened to be able to better withstand the weight and stress caused by the ever-increasing traffic flow. More than 30 years have passed since the bridge was constructed, and the idea is that the new decks will have a longer lifespan.

The bridge is an important connection in Malta’s north-south traffic network. When it was built in the 1970s, it was the first link in what is now the major artery connecting the two halves of the island – which was later completed with the building of the Santa Venera tunnels and the ones on the outskirts of the University.

Its temporary absence will therefore create a great inconvenience to drivers, as there are no real alternative routes. This will no doubt mean heavier traffic jams in the area, in particular in zones nearby that drivers wanting to make their normal trip from point A to point B will have to use.

The flow of traffic through central St Julian’s and through the Swieqi-San Gwann valley is expected to heavily increase when the work is being carried out. These routes were not built to take so much traffic and it is quite likely that there will be delays.

One hopes that the traffic arrangements to be drawn up by the Urban Development and Roads Ministry together with the Malta Transport Authority will see that the inconvenience created is limited.

Other major road projects have been carried out in the past and not all were supported by alternative routes that reduced traffic problems. Lessons should have been learnt from such circumstances and it is therefore expected that the mistakes committed are not repeated.

The traffic jams that occur every day on the Regional Road near the Kappara roundabout – where a traffic lights system was installed and later removed – are a clear indication of the amount of traffic that uses this stretch, in both directions. Considering that most of the work will be carried out during the winter months – that is during the scholastic year when traffic normally increases – the situation needs to be planned down to the smallest detail to avoid bigger problems than those anticipated.

The alternative routes need to be constantly monitored – and here the continuous presence of wardens and/or traffic policemen is necessary to direct traffic in the proper way. Any minor collisions that disrupt the flow need to be settled as quickly as possible and the cars removed quickly so as not to exacerbate the situation.

More importantly, every effort should be made to redirect drivers through other routes if they do not necessarily have to go to the area. For example, people travelling from Marsa to Mellieha can use other roads to make their way there instead of going via the Regional Road.

The Malta Independent has reported that the side of the bridge that will still be in use while the other is under construction will be turned into a two-way system during off-peak hours.

It is understood however that such a system would open the way for more congestion and could potentially be dangerous, particularly considering that cars will also be travelling in different directions in the same tunnel. And wouldn’t such a system add extra pressure on a bridge that is considered so weak that it will be demolished?

While strongly advocating against this possibility, if this system is nonetheless put in place the authorities should make sure that the area is constantly patrolled.