Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett must be damning the Manuel Dimech bridge. Drivers beware!
With the Labour Party’s repeated criticism because of the completion delay, claimed cost over-runs, and alleged “reeking corruption”, Mr Mugliett is now seriously in confrontation with the GRTU, Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, which issued an excoriating statement yesterday about the situation.
The GRTU’s statement was, however, soon followed by a development – Mr Mugliett has invited the GRTU for talks tomorrow.
Businesses have suffered loss of custom because people have been avoiding the area, while the bridge works – which were supposed to have been completed in September, are ongoing.
Now with the Yuletide season round the corner, the traders expected some relief. With one carriageway just completed, they would like the second, old and still usable one to be re-opened temporarily over the holiday period. But instead Mr Mugliett has given the go-ahead to the contractor to start breaking it up tomorrow, to re-build it.
The decision, the GRTU charged yesterday, was wrong and arrogant. The minister was defying all the traders of St Julian’s, Paceville and the surrounding area.
“It is incredible,” the GRTU shouted out to the country, “that without even having the decency to talk to us, the minister took a decision such as this.” GRTU director general Vince Farrugia said he had spoken to representatives of the shops at Bay Street, and of those in roads where most outlets were, while GRTU vice-president Philip Fenech had spoken to representatives of bars and restaurants, and they all had one view:
“We suffered last year, and throughout the summer, now we do not intend to suffer during the Yuletide season as well, because our patrons are avoiding to come to these areas.”
Both the minister and the Malta Transport Authority had abused business owners, the GRTU said. Traders had believed that the minister and the authority had it in them to manage the project as planned originally. Unfortunately the project was taking insufferably long, and they expected the authorities to take things seriously.
The minister seemed to be saying to himself that since the traders had accepted the situation, they could take more. This was being insensitive to people who were suffering, and was something no minister should do, the GRTU charged.
It said it expected to be consulted by the minister without delay, before allowing the demolition to go ahead. Both carriageways should be operating during the holiday season, and the minister should see how to include the private sector in monitoring the project, so that the work would be carried out and completed according to plan.
“If the minister fails to do this,” the GRTU said, “the GRTU is giving notice publicly that he will have trouble with the GRTU.”
It added the minister had lost the GRTU’s confidence on this project, and if he wanted to regain it, it would be through agreed and acceptable decisions. Otherwise, it warned, the consequences would be his.
In the afternoon the GRTU called a news conference, in which Philip Fenech announced that after the GRTU made public its suggestion to open the still usable carriageway of the bridge, Mr Mugliett invited the GRTU for talks tomorrow at 11am.
Mr Fenech said the GRTU was proposing that Baltic Street, which passes under the bridge, should be opened to traffic because it provided an important link with San Gwann.
He said the government should open Baltic Street in case it opted to close the West Side carriageway.