It does not take an architect or a traffic planning guru to predict that there is going to be traffic chaos in the Mosta and Burmarrad areas over the Santa Marija weekend.
It has been announced that Targa Gap Road will be closed over the weekend for major roadworks.
We ask the question: Why now? Did someone purposely decide to schedule the work for what can easily be described as the busiest time of the year for the North of the island? Thousands of people will be making the trip over to Gozo for the weekend, yet the only main artery that can get people to Cirkewwa is that same road. Of course, those who wish to justify this madness will say that motorists can use another arterial road, t’Alla w Ommu Hill, but this is folly. No matter how it is described, the road leading to the Salini from Naxxar is a minor road and should never be used for that sort of traffic volume.
They will counter this argument by saying that the Coast Road is available. Yes, of course it is, but what about the bottle neck at the bottom of t’Alla w Ommu Hill? Anyone who knows these roads will again predict total chaos.
To rub more salt into the wound, Mosta will be in full feast mode, meaning that any road in and out of the village will be closed – more chaos. It is easy to see where this is going. Malta, at least the centre and the north coast is going to be absolutely gridlocked.
Of course, the powers that be will probably issue a rebuttal to this leader and find some sort of justification for the work going on at this time.
Whatever explanation they come up with, it will not be good enough. On the merits of what was written above, the work should have been postponed till at least next week.
If they decide to tell us that it had to be done within a certain time frame because of whatever reason, they are again in the wrong. The patch of road leading from the top of Mosta (Jupiter roundabout) to where the new surface of Burmarrad Road begins has been in a shambles for years. Also, it is very worthwhile to point out that sporadic work has been in progress on and off on the very same patch for at least two months.
First they stripped one side. Then they dug it up to lay some pipes. Then they concreted (yes concreted) over it and allowed cars to pass through. Then, they decided to close it off again for some reason and divert traffic through Gnien l-Gharusa tal-Mosta. Then they decided to open it to traffic again (in a worse state, after the concreting, than it was before).
It truly has been a comedy of errors. First and foremost, this part of the road should have been done when the new surface was laid down some three or four years ago. Even if that was not possible (due to exploitation of funds, as we are sure that they will tell us), it should not have taken two months of sporadic work to dig up the road and turn it into more of a moon surface than it was in the first place. This job should have been completed before summer, never mind scheduled for the busiest weekend of the season. Sometimes, Malta will be Malta and words fail us. Who is more guilty, those who planned it, or us, the general public for actually putting up with such crass incompetence? The correct answer would have to be the latter. If you’re not working or going away, stay home!
They say the works should be ready by the middle of this week, but we sincerely doubt it. Either way, it was a very risky gamble to take.