After months of preparation, and the inevitable delays that happen every time Malta embarks on a project of massive proportions, work on the dismantling and rebuilding of the Manwel Dimech Bridge on the Regional Road is to start shortly. Drivers using the stretch have seen that preparatory work is now underway.

The delay – from September to December – was attributed to logistical problems, including complaints from nearby residents, but now these seem to have been sorted out and everything is in place for the first part of the project to begin.

It will take a total of 10 months for both decks to be demolished and replaced, together with the strengthening of the existing columns that support them.

This is certainly be a long time, especially for the many people who make use of the bridge to travel from Point A to Point B. It is incredible how the closure of such a short stretch of road will affect the entire road network in Malta, and goes to show that this is one of the major links between the northern and southern parts of the island.

It has been calculated that some 1,700 vehicles cross over the bridge during peak traffic hours. While work is taking place on one of the decks, the other will be open to two-way traffic, but drivers are strongly advised to make use of alternative routes to reach their destination.

The area is known for long traffic tail-backs at peak hours, and therefore if the same number of vehicles continues to make use of the bridge even during the construction period, it is to be expected that the traffic jams will be longer and more frustrating to drivers and passengers.

The Urban Development and Roads Ministry and the Malta Transport Authority have come up with a comprehensive alternative route system, which might seem rather complicated on paper but which, once people become used to it, will probably provide a faster journey to a given destination.

The traffic management system that has been drawn up – and which will be implemented from early December, once the work starts – suggests several routes that can be taken to avoid the Manwel Dimech Bridge. One hopes that there will be an extensive campaign by the ministry and ADT to explain these routes – and that drivers ultimately use them.

It is only by limiting the number of cars in the area that any traffic jams that do ensue because of the work can be controlled better.

Of course, this will probably mean that there will be traffic jams in other areas. But if drivers spread out on the different routes that are being suggested – and look out for the Variable Message Signs that will be set up to give different messages to drivers, depending on the circumstances – then matters should run much more smoothly.

To simplify things further, over Lm200,000 worth of road patching work has been carried out on roads that are likely to be used more because of the bridge project.

On the whole, as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We will only know if the traffic management plan that has been drawn up functions well when it has been implemented.

Teething problems are to be expected in the early stages and the authorities should be quick to identify them and sort things out. The presence of traffic policemen and wardens in the most problematic areas should help. It is also imperative that the Variable Message Signs are updated on a regular basis to allow drivers to identify different routes if certain areas are blocked.

More importantly, drivers should take heed of the advice that is being given and, if possible, avoid the Manwel Dimech Bridge area completely if they can make use of an alternative route. It will make things much easier for them.