The Ministry for Urban Development and Roads yesterday categorically denied what Dr Alfred Sant said the previous day regarding the concrete columns of the Manuel Dimech Bridge.

Speaking during a programme on One TV on Wednesday, Labour Leader Alfred Sant said that there is a possibility that the concrete columns of this bridge will have to be redone as they are made of the same material of the decks.

In the statement issued yesterday, the ministry said that it is clear that Dr Sant once again chose to speak about a project about which he is not well informed.

The ministry said that since the project kicked off around two months ago, there was hardly any negative criticism levelled at the work being carried out. On the contrary, it was very clear that the project had been planned in a very serious way so that the work is carried out properly and in the least time possible time to cause the least inconvenience possible to the public.

The ministry said that Dr Sant should be aware that various studies and investigations were carried out so that the viaducts of the Manoel Dimech bridge are fixed.

Foreign experts concluded that the surface of the viaducts, that is, the superstructure, had to be changed while the columns, which form the substructure, could have been rehabilitated.

When the columns were examined, it was revealed that the maximum degrading in the concrete had reached a depth of not more than 49mm. Therefore, part of the project will consist of the removal of between 75-100mm of the concrete surface of the columns by hydro-demolition. Following this process, the structures will be reinforced with steel reinforcement mesh and a new layer of shotcrete of around 200mm thick.

The ministry said it could not understand why Dr Sant had come out with such unfounded allegations since this information had been announced when the tender process for this project, which is financed by the EU Regional Development Fund, had been launched.